Woes continue: No water in Nurpur town for 5th day

Residents of Nurpur town went without piped water supply for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday. However, HPSEBL had restored power supply late on Friday night and the Jal Shakti Department (JSD) was set to restore piped water supply on Sunday morning. According to reports, heavy rain triggered a landslide, damaging water supply pipes of the main Chakki water supply scheme at three different locations near Manuha village in Aundh panchayat.

Besides, the torrential rain that lashed the area on Friday night flooded the pump house of the second water supply scheme for Nurpur town at Letri village. Residents who were expecting piped water supply on Saturday morning were disappointed to find their house taps dry for the fifth day in a row.

Meanwhile, Rajni Mahajan, Vice-Chairperson of Nurpur Municipal Council, arranged for water tankers to meet the daily water requirements of residents after a local NGO, RB Jankalyan Foundation, provided initial support. By evening, six water tankers had been provided to residents at accessible locations, with two more tankers to be arranged later in the day. Earlier, the foundation had provided three tankers to residents struggling with the severe water crisis over the past 24 hours.

Notably, neither the local administration nor the JSD had arranged any alternative water supply and distressed residents received partial relief through private water tankers on humanitarian grounds. Anand Baloria, Executive Engineer, JSD division Nurpur, stated that three department workers narrowly escaped injury while repairing water supply schemes on Friday night.

He said the three water supply schemes — Chakki, Letri, and Sadwan — had suffered damage worth Rs 60 lakh due to the torrential downpour and landslides. “The repair and restoration work of the damaged schemes has been completed this evening and the department will try its best to restore water supply in Nurpur town on Sunday morning,” he said. He informed that the JSD had suffered losses totalling Rs 8.50 crore to its water supply schemes so far.