When hills gave way: Rain fury wrecks Nurpur’s water lifelines

The recent spell of torrential rain, which triggered massive landslides across the hilly terrain, has caused extensive damage to the Lift Water Supply (LWS) schemes in the Nurpur circle of the Jal Shakti Department (JSD). From June 24 to September 15, the department compiled a damage report covering all four divisions under the Nurpur circle — Nurpur, Indora, Jawali and Fatehpur.

The incessant rains, combined with fragile terrain, repeatedly damaged water supply pipelines, leaving behind huge infrastructural losses and crippling the LWS schemes for over one and a half months. These repeated pipeline disruptions created an acute water crisis in both urban and rural areas. For the department’s workforce, restoration proved to be a daunting task, requiring days of fieldwork under adverse weather conditions.

In Nurpur town, the prolonged failure of a water supply scheme had tragic consequences. A 24-year-old youth lost his life after suffering a fatal electric shock while arranging water from a private tanker. The incident sparked public outrage, leading residents to stage a protest against a JSD official.

According to official data from the JSD circle office, 508 water supply schemes across the four divisions were damaged during the rain disaster, causing losses worth Rs 2,381.84 lakh. Superintending Engineer (SE) Vikas Bakshi told The Tribune that Nurpur, Indora, Jawali and Fatehpur divisions suffered damage to 159, 83, 165 and 101 LWS schemes respectively. Additionally, 115 small irrigation schemes in six JSD divisions, including Shahnehar, Sansarpur Terrace and Finna Singh (Sadwan), sustained further losses estimated at Rs 1,594.07 lakh.

The department’s workforce is still engaged in restoring the remaining damaged schemes. The final loss assessment, prepared daily until September 15, has been submitted to higher authorities for further action.