E-Paper
Himalayan fed yet parched
All the rivers in Uttar Pradesh are fed by the Himalayas, unlike the rivers down south. Despite that all the major cities in the state have been facing severe water shortages.For instance, in several areas of Varanasi, groundwater is available only at 250 feet below. This, despite the fact, it is on the banks of the Ganga.
It's an irony that Uttar Pradesh, fed by the great Himalayan rivers, should be facing, (of all things!) a water crisis. But that is exactly what's been happening in recent times.
With the monsoons arriving in the state, most people have heaved a sigh of relief. Through much of the summer months of May and June all the cities have been in the throes of a severe water shortage.
Let's take Lucknow, the capital of the state, to begin with. Areas such as Mukarim Nagar, Gola Ganj, Nehru Nagar and Victoria Street have been dry for several days. The condition is no different in posh localities like Gomti Nagar, Aliganj and Indira Nagar. The residents have hired water carriers on contract to transport drinking water to their houses.
Around five lakh people are facing acute water crisis in Varanasi. Garwhasi Tola located on the edge of the Ganga is not getting a single drop of water. One has to drill 250 feet to get groundwater through hand pumps or submersible pumps.
In Allahabad the first strata of underground water level has almost disappeared. A majority of wells have been covered and groundwater is receding each year. In several localities the residents have been deprived of drinking water.
Come summer and potable water is particularly hit. Earlier, drinking water was not an issue in the hilly regions of Bundelkhand and Mirzapur, but now water scarcity has taken on endemic proportions as more and more areas are facing potable water crisis. People fight over water and water riots are commonplace in cities like Kanpur, Agra and Meerut.
The reason for the crisis is not difficult to identify. According to the UP Jal Nigam officials, in the year 1951 the population of the state was around five crores and the per capita water availability was 5,690 cubic metre. In 2002 the population increased to 16 crores but the per capita availability of water declined to 1,778 cubic metre.
The over exploitation of groundwater, after a severe drought in the previous year, had led to a decline in the water table. In a survey conducted by the World Bank, 44 blocks were identified as over exploited, 171 critical and 54 semi critical blocks. Dry wells and hand pumps have pushed the rural areas in the grip of a drinking water crisis.
The state government report states that water consumption in urban and rural sectors is about 1.4 million acre feet (maf) and 2.1 (maf) respectively. The projected requirements are about 2.6 maf and 3.7 maf for the urban and rural population.
A senior officer in the Nigam told Hindustan Times that under the accelerated urban water scheme (formulated some four decades ago), water being supplied was meant for towns with a population of 20,000.
There is no such scheme for bigger towns and cities. Due to paucity of funds they were unable to launch drinking water project in bigger cities, he added.
In reply to a question he said the state government had planned to install one hand pump each for a population of 250.
Around 11 lakh hand pumps have been installed in 2,43,508 villages of which around 50,000 hand pumps are non-functional and another 80,000 hand pumps require 'reboring', he said. In 30 districts several hand pumps are lying idle due to a fall in the groundwater level.
At several places the underground water has been polluted and declared unfit for human consumption. The Industrial Toxicology Research Centre, Lucknow, made water quality surveillance in 30 districts and it was found that contamination of water was above the permissible limit for fluoride, iron, nitrate and total dissolved solid.
