Downpour hits water supply in Shimla

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 21

Shimla is in the midst of water shortage following heavy rain on Friday night. Against the normal supply of around 40 million litres per day, the city received just 6.2 million litres on Sunday morning, forcing Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) to suspend domestic supply throughout the day except in priority areas. “With just six million litres, we have prioritised supply to hospitals, fire tenders, etc. Also, we have given supply to the priority areas which had not received water from the last two days,” said SJPNL General Manager Anil Mehta.

“Despite damage to infrastructure at all six schemes and high turbidity, we have managed to restart pumping water. If there’s no further interruption of the scale we have seen in the last two days, we should be able to restore normal supply from Tuesday,” said Mehta.

The flooded rivers in the wake of heavy downpour have caused extensive damage to the physical infrastructure at all six schemes providing water to the city. “As per initial estimates, we have incurred a cumulative damage of around Rs 3.25 crore at all schemes. The disruption we have seen at the water schemes is the worst in recent times,” said Mehta.

Apart from damaging the roads and walls at the schemes, the flooded rivers have also damaged the equipment at the schemes like KRT pumps, inlet and outlet gates, crate wires, etc. “All schemes have suffered significant damage. It will take some time to repair and rebuild the infrastructure,” said Mehta.

Meanwhile, a landslide has been reported at Giri Water Scheme, which resulted in power failure as the electricity pole was swept away in the landslide. As a result, the pumping from the scheme had to be stopped.

Besides, the turbidity level at the Gumma Water Scheme and Giri Water Scheme, the two major schemes, saw a major spike this evening. While the turbidity in river Giri was over 8,000 ntu, it was close to 6,000 ntu at Gumma. For pumps to operate, the turbidity level needs to be below 2,000 ntu. “The turbidity level rose so high because of sudden flooding at both the schemes. We are expecting turbidity level to subside to manageable levels and soon resume the pumping,” said a SJPNL official.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#Shimla