Flood hits water supply in Jammu

Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

 Jammu, August 20

 Acute drinking water shortage has hit Jammu as the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department has suspended operations of major filtration plants due to the flooding of the Tawi. 

Without a contingency plan to tide over the water crisis every monsoon, the city residents are confronted with scarcity of water during rainy season. Officials said silt had entered the machinery in filtration plants. 

 The Tawi is only sub-surface source of water for more than a million people here. The failure of the successive governments to bring change in designs of pumping stations and filtration plants on the river which flows through and divides the city has made people hostage to elements of nature.

“Water supply is erratic for the last three days. We also receive muddy water. This is routine whenever there are rains. This reflects the poor planning of the government which is not able to exploit underground water sources,” said Kanta Devi, a resident of Chand Nagar. 

There are three major filtration plants, Sitle; Tawi lift station and Boria on the river supplying about 25 million gallon daily (MGD). The total requirement for the city is about 60 MGD and the rest is augmented by underground source mainly tubewells. 

“Our lineman told us that the supply will be restored after August 23, till then tanker will be made available. This is a poor reflection on the future of smart city envisaged by politicians,” said Vikas Chandra, a resident of Ganga Nagar, Bantalab. People are facing water scarcity in the Old City, Panjtirthi, Talab Khatikan, Jammu West, Canal road, Talab tillo, Janipur, Bantalab, Chinore, Roop Nagar, Durga Nagar and various other areas.

Official sources said the machinery was working below its capacity. The supply will be restored after a week and that will depend on water flow in the river and weather condition.

However, PHE Chief Engineer Sanjeev Chadha could not be contacted for his comments.