E-Paper
Silt in rivers hit water supply in Shimla
The three main sources of water supply remain flooded with silt and debris, making it impossible for the Shimla Jal Prabhandan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) to pump water.
Water supply in state capital Shimla has been adversely hit following torrential rains as the major sources — Giri, Gumma and Ashwani Khud — have been filled with debris and silt.
Several wards, including Phagli locality of Nabha, were supplied water after six days while Chotta Shimla, Kanlog, Vikasnagar and Engine Ghar went without a drop on Friday.
Following heavy rains last week, turbidity in Giri had touched 9,000 NTU (nephelometric turbidity unit), which has come down to 300-400 NTU and efforts are on to decrease the level further.
The three main sources of water supply remain flooded with silt and debris, making it impossible for the Shimla Jal Prabhandan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) to pump water. Giri has three pumps while Gumma has five water pumps.
Assistant general manager (AGM) of water production, Rajesh Kashyap assured that the water supply will be normal soon if the state does not witness torrential rains again. He informed that the silt level in all the water supply sources has started to come down.
SJPNL managing director Dharmender Gill said water supply was disrupted at many areas on Friday due to backlogs but claimed that it was restored on Saturday.
He said at least 46 to 47 MLD (Millions of Liters Per Day), which is at par with the normal level, was supplied on Saturday, against the assurance of 50 MLD.
Nabha ward councillor Simi Nanda said, “We continued to complain for two consecutive days but to no avail. They kept assuring us of water supply but we did not receive a drop. After I warned them of protest, water was supplied to us on Friday afternoon.”
Another councillor Rachna Bhardwaj (Vikasnagar) said amid the disruption, people have no choice but to fetch water from natural water sources.
The turbidity level in Giri river had reached 9,000 NTU in July as well due to illicit dumping near the river. In 2018, the state capital faced the worst water crisis of the decade during the summer which outraged the local residents who took to the streets against the administration.
