Providing enough water to cantonment town residents tough task for govt

Arranging adequate water for the civilian population which will be excluded from the three cantonment towns of Kasauli, Dagshai and Subathu after the excising exercise will be a tough task for the Jal Shakti Department (JSD).

Significantly, discussions have been held between the Ministry of Defence and the officials of the Jal Shakti Department where the former have clearly stated that the existing facility would continue to the civilian population for six months where water would be provided at the rate of Rs 60.52 per 1,000 litres which is the existing rate. Water supplied by the Military Engineering Services is thrice the amount charged by the state government in urban areas while it was minimum Rs 110 in rural households, as per an estimate made by the Jal Shakti Department.

With limited scope to provide water in places like Subathu and Dagshai, the Jal Shakti Department faces a major challenge in arranging adequate water for the civilian population of 2,904 in Dagshai and 8,720 of Subathu.

Though the Jal Shakti Department can lift water from Ghamber Khud for Subathu but since there are many stakeholders it would not be an easy task. “Even if the villagers give a no objection certificate to permit the Jal Shakti Department to lift water it will take one to two years to streamline the scheme,” stated Jal Shakti Department officials.

In Dagshai the water scenario was more dire as the Jal Shakti Department has no alternate water source to lift water to cater to the civilian population.

Though there are two natural water springs North and South water springs, through which water is supplied to the civilians, they would remain with the defence authorities after the excising exercise. The Jal Shakti Department has demanded grant of both springs to them to ensure water availability to the civilians.

In Kasauli cantonment the water problem could be solved as a Rs 102 crore ambitious Giri water lifting scheme would be commissioned soon. The Kasauli Cantonment Board has a population of 3,885, as per the 2011 Census.

Bhanu Uday Assistant Engineer Jal Shakti Department, Dharampur, stated that they were yet to work out the modalities of water arrangement in civilian areas of cantonment towns of the area.