One-third city areas face water shortage

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, May 20

Tall claims made by the Municipal Corporation Bathinda (MCB) to provide adequate water supply to residents have fallen flat. Residents of many areas in city are not getting sufficient water supply.

Around 30 per cent areas in the city are still deprived of sufficient water pipe supply. Due to this, residents in these areas have to depend upon on water tankers. These tankers are sent by the MCB on a daily basis.

Even water provided through the tankers is not enough for each household for daily consumption. To meet the demand, residents have to cover a lot of distance and they get water from a hand pump or a RO plant, installed in their nearby areas.

Water is being supplied to many areas, including Sanjay Nagar, Bangi Nagar, Pratap Nagar, Amarpura Basti, Naruana road, Udham Singh Nagar, Janta Nagar and Jogi Nagar through water tankers.

Even the inadequate water supply has forced the residents to rely on underground water as many residents in these areas have installed motors to pump out underground water but it is not fit for consumption. Notably, the district is well-known for its contaminated underground water.

Water pipes were laid many years ago in many areas of the city, but connections have not been provided to residents, due to which they are facing problems.

Noida-based Triveni Company has been allotted the Rs 288-crore project for 100 per cent sewerage maintenance and water supply in the city. The company has been working on the project since 2015. It is also accused of working at a snail’s pace. It seems that providing adequate water supply to residents has become a Herculean task.

The work of constructing a water tank in the industrial area has not started yet. Even the newly constructed water tanks on the Ajit road and Model Town, Phase-III, have reported a leakage.

Former councillor Vijay Kumar said, “A huge amount has been spent by the MC on the water supply but the residents are yet to get adequate water. The civic body has also failed to provide potable water. The MC has never cleaned the water tanks from which water is supplied to the residents.”

Mandeep Kaur, a resident of Bangi Nagar, said, “It is really sad to see that politicians make tall claims during elections, but once the poll are over, they hardly bother to meet residents again. Many years have passed and the governments have failed to provide basic civic amenities to the residents.”

Senior Deputy Mayor Tarsem Goyal said, “Many parts of the city don’t get adequate water supply at present, but we have already given a contract for 100 per cent sewerage maintenance and water supply to Triveni Company. The water supply will reach to each and every resident in the city.”

The MCB has failed to start the water meter scheme in the city despite passing the new water policy, notified by the state government, at its General House meeting in January 2016.

The MCB had given the work of installing water meters to Triveni Company, but the scheme has failed to start till date, which has led to the loss of revenue for the state government.

Under the policy, consumers had to install digital tamper-proof water meters at their residences as well as commercial establishments. It was mandatory to conduct the test of the meters before installing the same at a charge of Rs 50.

Residents yet to get connections

• Water pipes were laid many years ago in a number of areas of the city, but connections have not been provided to residents, due to which they are facing problems. 
• Noida-based Triveni Company has been allotted the Rs 288-crore project for 100 per cent sewerage maintenance and water supply in the city. The company has been working on the project since 2015. It is also accused of working at a snail’s pace. It seems that providing adequate water supply to residents has become a Herculean task.