Panchkula struggles to meet water needs

Amit Bathla

Panchkula, April 30

With the timings of power cuts coinciding with the water supply hours, residents of the city are struggling to do works of daily routine.

A lack of coordination between the Haryana Shahri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) and the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam is the key reason for this crisis, say residents. Officials of the UHBVN said the schedule of power cuts could not be altered as it had been prepared at the state level considering maximum consumption hours.

“The tentative schedule of power cuts is a state-level arrangement. We have no authority to tweak it. We just follow the orders from the top,” said Sanjeev Sharma, XEN, UHBVN.

“Why they (HSVP) are so adamant to supply water during the fixed hours,” he said, while pinning the blame on the HSVP. Meanwhile, the HSVP officials claimed it was technically impossible to change the water supply schedule.

“Due to the flow and pressure reasons, we can’t alter the water supply hours,” said NK Payal, XEN, HSVP.

Meanwhile, some residents are compelled to rely on private water tankers to meet their daily water needs.

Uninterrupted power to be supplied to tubewells: MLA

Local MLA Gian Chand Gupta today spoke to Haryana Power Minister Ranjeet Singh and senior officials of the HSVP and the UHBVN with regard to a better interdepartmental coordination.

To address the water issue, the uninterrupted power supply to tubewells will be ensured through separate infrastructure, which was already in place, he added.

“New UHBVN staff were unaware of this electricity infra for tubewells in the city. We had faced a similar crisis in the past and set up a separate line to provide power to the tubewells,” he said, adding that the issue would be largely addressed from tomorrow.

Water supply hours

The fixed water supply hours are from 5 am to 9 am and from 5 pm to 9 pm. As per the power cut schedule, the supply is snapped from 5 am to 6 am and from 8 am to 8:30 am, thus affecting the water supply. A power cut is also imposed between 3:30 pm and 5:30 pm. Then, unscheduled cuts at different times of the day also disrupt the water supply.