Water crisis: 25 of 138 booster stations shut, 77 in poor state

Gurugram, May 28

Obsolete infrastructure in around 138 boosting stations in the city is the biggest factor behind the water supply crisis in Gurugram. Municipal Corporation (MC) officials said as per the current records, of the total 138 boosting stations available, 25 are non-operational right from the time they were set up. Another 77 are in a poor shape and 19 do not have electricity connections.

Old Gurugram worst-hit

Old Gurugram is worst-hit by the problem. The infrastructure is not up to the mark and none of the tanks has been cleaned. The majority of the areas are getting dirty water supply. There is no regular checking at these stations. Most of these water tanks have leakage issues, while others do not have motors or generators. Dinesh Vashisht, president, RWA, Sectors 3,5,6

Reportedly, the boosting stations at Sushant Lok, Sector 45, Sector 9A, Sector 23, Sirhaul, Chakkarpur, Saraswati Vihar, and DLF Block U are closed. In these areas, the water supply has been handed over to private agencies.

The majority of the boosting stations have reported sludge in tanks, which has not been cleaned for many years. Their poor condition has worsened the water crisis in many areas, including Sushant Lok-1, 2, DLF, Ardee City, Greenwood City, Palam Vihar, Sectors 17, 45, 9A, 23 and 28. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs) have claimed that obsolete machinery, electrical infrastructure, old pipelines and valves at the boosting stations lead to frequent snags, thereby affecting the supply and pressure.

“The boosting stations have decades-old infrastructure, right from motors to switches, which get damaged every other day. Getting them repaired takes days and thousands of residents suffer,” said Rakesh Jinsi, president, RWA, Sector 17. “The boosting station staff reveals that they keep demanding new equipment, but it is not sanctioned. The population and need of each sector has increased in last 10 years and infrastructure should be updated accordingly.”

“Old Gurugram is worst-hit by the problem. The infrastructure is not up to the mark and none of the tanks has been cleaned. The majority of the areas are getting dirty water supply. There is no regular checking at these stations. Most of these water tanks have leakage issues, while others do not have motors or generators,” said Dinesh Vashisht, president, RWA, Sectors 3, 5 and 6.

MC Commissioner PC Meena said an audit of infrastructure was being done and issues were being resolved.

“We are getting the infrastructural needs of the boosting stations audited. We are in touch with RWAs to get more insight and solve the problems at each station,” he said.