news details |
|
|
| Water shortage hitting city | | | | The tall claims made by the authorities about the problem of water supply in Jammu having been solved and that this summer there will be no shortage of water supply to the households in Jammu city, is not borne by the ground reality and facts. The summer is yet to set in and shortage of water supply is already being felt by the people in the city, with the same getting intensified week after week. The two times supply through PHE pipelines is an exception, whereas even one time supply daily, for half and hour invariably eludes the people in many areas. The PHE authorities, on enquiry, invariably shift the blame to the curtailment in power supply or low voltage which hinders pumping of the water to the overhead reservoirs for supply to the households through pipeline. But this plea often is found to be a lame excuse and the real fault lies elsewhere. Very often there are complains of pipes leaking at various points and much of the water flowing through the leakages and getting wasted. With main underground pipes leaking filthy water in the drains gets mixed up with the water supplied to the households, causing pollution and leading to water born diseases. During the rainy season in particular, this problem gets acute and complains in this regard increase. In fact all plans and projects undertaken by the government to augment water supply in the city and solve the chronic problem of its shortage lag behind the schedule and fall short of the increase demand due to ever rising population. Only in February this year one water treatment plant, which had washed away in the flash floods two years ago, was replaced with a new plant, claimed to be providing additional 70 lakh gallons of water to certain areas in the city. It was also assured that still another plant at Sitlee with the capacity to supply another 70 lakh gallons of water will get operational by ending March and thus the shortage of water supply in the city would be overcome. But this has remained only an assurance. However even after this additional 70 lakh gallons of water supply is ensured, there will be still shortage, if the present cries by the people in certain areas are any indication. Compared to March—April the requirement of water for daily use in households gets almost doubled in May—June and July and almost for the whole of summer months, with excessive heat creating demand for more potable water, for drinking, cleaning households, washing linens more frequently and even for bathing and added to it for use in the air coolers and so on. If the authorities have not been able to meet the demand these months, the crises can be expected to be of much higher magnitude in the months of extreme heat, when the demand for water will be two fold more. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
