Water availability dwindles as temperatures soar

PANCHKULA, April 27: Come summer, Panchkula residents are again in for water problem. And this time the woes have started much earlier. Alth...

PANCHKULA, April 27: Come summer, Panchkula residents are again in for water problem. And this time the woes have started much earlier. Although HUDA may claim to be fully equipped to meet the increasing demand of water, as the temperature soars, the supply invariably dwindles. Residents of various sectors have already started complaining of low water pressure. The problem is acute for those residing far from waterworks or on first or second floors. HUDA officials claim that water is supplied for eight hours a day to all sectors and more than that to those living near the water works, but residents dispute this claim.

Naveen Gupta, a doctor living in Sector 18 says: 8220;The taps start flowing much later than they used to and water doesn8217;t flow for long. It8217;s difficult to complete household chores at times.8221; Those who live in second floor flats are the worst sufferers. Water pressure is often insufficient to reach their taps. Low pressure is an every-summer problem in Sectors 2, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14 and 18.

Sources in HUDA8217;s Public Health Department say that the township8217;s waterworks supply 70 gallons per person per day and point to 72 tubewells whose water supplies the 1.2 lakh population. Eight more tubewells, especially for Sectors 20, 26, 27 and 28 are to be bored in the coming months. In Mansa Devi where more colonies have sprung up, three new tubewells are already functioning.

Many residents use pumps to fill their overhead tanks but this reduces water availability for others. Although rules are stringent, they are violated with impunity. Also, as the authorities lament, water wastage continues unabated. Indiscriminate watering of lawns and leaking or unclosed taps add to the problem.

When water pipes burst, water supply is suspended. Vimal Khanna, a resident of Sector 5, complains: 8220;Although the pipes have been laid only recently, but because of being substandard, these burst often and then the supply is suspended.8221;

The authorities explain their plans for summer: quot;Six sets of tubewells have been kept for use in emergency.