Resorts on Kasauli road to hit water supply

Ambika Sharma

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Tribune News Service

Solan, September 1

Water availability in the Kasauli area will be affected once more than a dozen resorts coming up on the Dharampur-Kasauli road becomes functional.

Residents are getting water only on alternate days and about two days a week in peak summers.

Officials of the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department do not grant water availability certificates to commercial builders, but they can avail permission from the HP Ground Water Authority (HPGWA) to use groundwater.

Figures available from the authority indicate that nearly seven commercial connections have already been issued to various builders and existing resorts in the Kasauli area and they can draw as much as 1,62,300 litres of water on a daily basis. Each commercial connection can draw water ranging from 10,000 litres per day (LPD) to as much as 42,300 LPD. This is putting a severe drain on the natural sources in the areas where these resorts are located.

More such connections will be sought by resorts which are in various stages of construction. It is known that using natural sources of water is becoming a contentious issue between villagers and commercial builders. In one such area, including village Shiller and its surrounding villages, agriculture is becoming a declining activity as water availability is declining.

A key builder who was coming up with a luxury housing colony was also staking his claim for using the groundwater while villagers were opposing it.

With the IPH Department having little interest in tapping various natural sources of water to augment water supply in the Kasauli area, builders are quick to stake claim over such sources.

Member Secretary, HPGWA, Sanjeev Kaul, said groundwater connections were issued after holding public hearings and after taking into account the prescribed distance from nearby natural sources. He added that it was ensured that the quantum of water drawn by the user does not adversely affect the source of water.