McLeodganj areas face acute water shortage as storage tank starts leaking

Residents in some areas of McLeodganj are facing acute shortage of water. The residents say the shortage of water in their area is due to a leaking water storage tank that was set up by the Jal Shakti Department about 40 years ago.

McLeodganj is prime tourist spot in Kangra district. The shortage of water is creating trouble for the residents of the area and tourists who come here.

Prem Prakash, a resident of McLeodganj, said that despite good rains and snow in the region they have been receiving just about one hour water supply in the day. The water is leaking from the water storage tank of Jal Shakti Department. It seems that thousands of litre was leaking from the storage tank of the department even as the people were not getting enough water in their homes. The department should repair the water tank at the earliest so that people can get adequate water in their houses.

Deepak, a hotelier, said that they are being forced to buy water by calling tankers due to inadequate supply from the Jal Shakti Department sources. The condition of the water tank was bad as it has not been repaired since long. Due to poor condition of water tank the quality of water being supplied to the residents is also bad, he alleged.

The Chief Engineer, Jal Shakti Department, Deepak Garg, when asked, said that the problem of leaking water tank has been brought to the notice of department by the residents of McLeodganj.

“The water tank in question is about 40 years old and made of stones. It is located on the reserve forest land. So, we cannot repair or replace the water storage tank without the permission of forest department officials. However, in view of the problems being faced by people, the department was thinking of putting up prefabricated water storage structure to solve the problem of leakage. We will replace the leaking water tank with prefabricated structure in the next 3 to 4 months,” he said.

Most of the water supply schemes in McLeodganj area are based on streams flowing from the hills. Due to scanty rains in the region, the people are facing problems of water shortage in summers. In monsoons also, people face water shortage due to damage to pipes coming from hills caused by landslides or flash floods.

The residents of the area have been demanding that water to McLeodganj that was prime tourist destination of Kangra should be sourced from perennial sources to avoid said problems.