Water crisis in walled city area deepens

Charanjit Singh Teja
Tribune News Service
Amritsar, July 10

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The walled city area of the holy city has witnessed more than 100 feet water depletion in the last five years. Out of 133 tubewells, 25 are non-functional. Besides, several tubewells are unable to pump out adequate water due to depleting water table.

The MC is not able to install borewells as truck-mounted borewell rig can’t make it to narrow streets. Most of the tubwells are 200 to 350 feet deep, which have turned defunct due to water crisis. MC officials say they need at least 550 feet borewell for good water pressure.

The MC had installed shallow borewells at the corners of many streets to meet the demand of residents, but residents got contaminated water as the upper stratum of water is polluted. Several private establishments have 350 feet deep borewells, but no government body has data of the same. Even the Operation and Maintenance (O&M) wing of the MC doesn’t have record about the number of borewells inside the walled city.

“Two decades ago, the groundwater level was only 90 feet deep in the city and we used to install 125 feet pipe. The groundwater is rapidly depleting. The MC has constructed ground tanks at Kesri Bagh to supply water to old city areas but the crisis has been deepening over the years,” said an MC officer.

Ashwani Kumar, SDO, O&M, MC, said, “Groundwater depletion is a bitter truth. We have made hard efforts to provide water to every house.

Not even a single house is deprived of water supply. Sometimes, they face pressure issue.”

Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu said, “Canal water seems to be a permanent solution. The process to use surface water is going on with the help of the World Bank. Hopefully, the government will provide a solution.”

The city has five sarovars (holy ponds) at Shri Darbar Sahib, Gurdwara Kaulsar Sahib, Bibesksar Sahib, Ramser Sahib and Santoksar Sahib. Earlier, canal water were being used to fill the sarovers through Hansali (underground channel). But now they too are dependent on groundwater. Water seepage had stopped after installation of sand filters and other equipment at Darbar Sahib Sarover in 2002.