E-Paper
Water level in the Ganga goes down
THE CITY is facing a severe water crisis as the water level in the Ganga has fallen with the rise in temperature and the city is unable to get the required water from the river. The citizens in several localities are forced to queue up for a bucketful of water at hand-pumps.
THE CITY is facing a severe water crisis as the water level in the Ganga has fallen with the rise in temperature and the city is unable to get the required water from the river. The citizens in several localities are forced to queue up for a bucketful of water at hand-pumps.
However, even these hand-pumps are not of much help to the citizens. According to informed sources, out of 10,000 hand-pumps in the city, only 7,000 are operational. The rest are lying inoperative. These inoperative hand pumps have not been repaired due to fiscal crunch faced by the Jal Nigam.
Most of the operative handpumps are unable to pump the required amount of water due to fall in the level of underground in several localities. Still, the citizens have to be content with the water they get from these hand pumps.
Although about 1,780 new handpumps were to be installed under an ambitious scheme during the current financial year and about 1,000 old handpumps were to be re-bored, the plan could not take off due to paucity of funds, according to informed sources.
Besides, the long power rostering has also affected the operation of the water treatment plant. Consequently, the water in the river is becoming highly polluted. The citizens in several localities are supplied contaminated and foul-smelling water through the municipal taps.
A senior official of the UP Pollution Control Board said that sewer water continued to be discharged in the Ganga at Budhia Ghat which was the main source of polluting the river water.
The Pollution Control Board has, however, no plan either to divert the drain flow or to stop the drain water from being discharged in the river.
Despite several representations and demonstrations, the citizens have not been able to obtain supply of adequate and clean potable water till date.
