New potable water scheme for Kasauli

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 18

Nearly a decade after it was conceived, the Rs 23.24-crore Kalujhinda potable lift water scheme has finally been approved by the state government.

This will not only address the water woes of Kasauli and its nearby areas, but also ensure that the area receives water on a daily basis. Targeted to provide 14 lakh litres of water on a daily basis, the scheme now awaits funds and has been sent to the Planning Department following the approval to its detailed project report. With little augmentation of the existing water supply schemes in the last nearly two decades, the residents receive water after 2 or 3 days throughout the year. Given the fact that the area has no source of water, no water supply scheme could be conceived for the area and people are forced to bear the extreme shortage of water in summers when the natural sources dry and the demand of water skyrockets even in hotels due to the influx of tourists. Superintending Engineer (SE), Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department, Sanjeev Kaul, said the scheme, which was mooted about a decade ago, would finally see the light of day as it had been sent to the Planning Department for funding. It would be a three-stage lift water scheme which would take four years to be commissioned and also cater to various residential schools of the area, which had been facing the shortage of water. A local hotelier association as well as residential schools had also given their consent to share the cost on a pro rata basis, said SE, Sanjeev Kaul.

A population of 6,800 would benefit from this scheme which comprises Kasauli and its villages. One tubewell would also be bored where water would be lifted from the Kalujhinda river in Barotiwala.