Nagpur canal closure sparks water crisis

Nagpur, May 8: A severe drinking water crisis has hit Nagpur city, as the canal which provides water to the city from Pench project has been...

Nagpur, May 8: A severe drinking water crisis has hit Nagpur city, as the canal which provides water to the city from Pench project has been closed for regular repairs.

The situation is worse this year as along with the southern and northern parts of the city, which face water scarcity regularly, Nagpur West is also facing unprecedented crisis. The NMC, having failed to visualise this situation, is not even ready with an emergency plan to tackle the situation.The BJP, which promised to make the State tanker-free8217; by the turn of the century, is having to eat its own words as in most scarcity-hit areas, drinking water is being provided through tankers.

Water scarcity in summer months, mainly in the slums is nothing new, but that it has reached the middle-class localities this year, points at the failure of the city administration to take preventive measures.

The city receives 228 million litres of water every day from the Pench Project, the main source of drinking water to the city. The water comes tothe city through a 50 km long open canal, which brings the water to the Water Treatment Plant at Gorewada. This treated water is then stored in the Gorewada tank and released to the city.

The irrigation department repairs this open canal mostly in summer,when the water level is at its lowest. This makes the repair work easy.

Every year, the NMC keeps aside Rs 1 crore for alternative emergency water supply planning. This year however it decided to cancel the emergency plan and the NMC officials are unable to explain this sudden decision.

NMC officials said that the repair work on the canal will be completed by May 10. However, given the pace of work, the deadline may not be met. Even after the repair gets completed, it will take a few days to restore water supply to the city. This means that the scarcity will continue right through summer.

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middle class and elite class localities in Ramdaspeth, Dharampeth, Laxminagar, Abhyankar Nagar, Bajajnagar, Tilaknagar, Civil Lines and Sitabuldi, which havealways had ample water supply, are facing acute drinking water scarcity. The slum areas in these parts are already receiving drinking water through tankers.

The Ravinagar Government Employees Colony is one of the worst-hit areas, where drinking water is being provided through tankers. The residents here are caught in a bind as they cannot even agitate in the given situation.

When contacted, Dattu Thete, member mayor-in-council, in-charge of Water Supply Department, said that there is water scarcity usually in the city during summer. He remarked that citizens have not complained of water scarcity.

He blamed it on the fault in the check-dam at Kanhan and the regular power cut in the city. He added that the NMC is trying its best to provide the citizens with drinking water.

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The worst part of the problem is that in spite of the regular problems of drinking water faced by the city, the NMC has never given a second thought to bring about changes in its water supply planning or to better the existingplans.

For example, water from the Pench project is supplied to the city through an open canal. The water in this canal is thus prone to be lost through vapourisation, percolation and theft by farmers. Unofficial sources put this loss at 10-15 per cent.

though the NMC is paying the Irrigation Department for 228 million litres of water everyday, actually the city is receiving only 200 ml of water. Surprisingly, the NMC does not have any official figures about the water lost.