Residents suffer as water supply suspended

Sumeer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 16

It has been more than two weeks for around 350 households in Multania village who have been battling with acute water shortage.

The water supply to the village has been suspended reportedly to carry out repairs of the water-works.

The residents of the village, primarily dependent on water supplied from water-works (where canal water is filtered and refined to make it drinkable) situated near Teona village.

However, as the water supply remained suspended, a majority of the residents are forced to fetch water from the canal situated at a distance of around five km near the city area.

Talking to Bathinda Tribune, Parkash Singh, a resident of the village, said, “A majority of residents of the village are completely dependent on water supplied from water-works at Teona village. With water supply snapped for over two weeks, the residents are running from pillar to post to ensure that they have enough water for drinking purpose, bathing and washing clothes among other household chores.”

Singh added, “The village largely houses Dalit families, which do not have submersible pumps installed at their houses. They are forced to cover a distance of five km and ferry water on vehicles from the canal. We have approached the authorities many times regarding the problems being faced by area residents due to suspended water supply, but time and again, the reason put forward is that it is done due to the ongoing repair work at the water-works.”

Meanwhile, officials of the Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department claimed that the water supply had been resumed after the repair work was completed.

Balraj Singh, junior engineer, Punjab Water Supply and Sanitation Department, said, “On the directions of higher authorities to streamline and improve the water supply and quality, we have been carrying out repair work for the water tank used for storage. As the size of the tank is large and rifts that caused water seepage were quite wide, it took us around two weeks to complete the work. But now, the water supply has been resumed.”