Rain wreaks havoc on water supply in Kangra

Continuous monsoon rain in Himachal's Kangra district has caused massive damage to drinking water infrastructure, resulting in losses worth crores for the Jal Shakti Department. As of Friday evening, at least 45 major water supply lines had been disrupted, leaving engineers struggling to restore services in challenging conditions.

In Dharamsala city, the situation is particularly grim. The intake line of the Gajj Khad drinking water scheme, the city's main water source, has been completely washed away. Several other pipelines were damaged due to landslides triggered by the incessant rainfall, further complicating the crisis. Though some of these lines were expected to be restored by Friday evening, the Gajj Khad pipeline remained the biggest challenge.

“The department teams are on-site with welding equipment, but work is only possible during short breaks in the rain,” said Deepak Kumar Garg, Chief Engineer of the Jal Shakti Department. He added that another pipeline supplying water from Bhutehar Khud had also sustained damage but has since been repaired.

Despite these setbacks, the department has managed to ensure limited water supply in Dharamsala using alternate sources. However, supply hours have been reduced in several localities.

District Magistrate Hemraj Bairwa has directed officials to expedite the restoration process and ensure uninterrupted water supply to the city. He also urged the department to prepare for further contingencies, given the persistent rainfall.