Friday, March 13, 2009

City’s water woes worsen

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GUWAHATI, March 13 – The skies turning merciless each day over the gateway to the Northeast and the failure of the authorities concerned to address the crucial potable water supply problem of this happening city have made life miserable for the citizens.

With the rains evading the city for the last several months and the skies not showing any sign of a cloudburst, a water crisis has hit the citizens of late. Many areas under the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) have been facing acute shortage of water in the last couple of weeks. In several points in the city, people have been queuing up to fill their buckets from the water tankers.

What is most worrisome for the people is that in many areas the water level of the wells has been going down alarmingly. An advocate of Basisthapur 1, Archana Deka Lahkar while relating her water woes said that as the water level has gone down, it was difficult to get sufficient water through the deep tube well. “It has now become difficult to get enough water for all the household chores,” she said expressing concern that if the dry spell continued for some more time, she would have no water.

For citizens in other locations like Panjabari, Lachit Nagar, Borah Service, etc., the problem is worse. “We have now been compelled to purchase water as the water level in our wells has gone down,” said Prabir Baruah, resident of Panjabari. Baruah is not covered by the GMC water supply system.

A former councillor of GMC, Gopal Patowary while expressing concern at the deepening water crisis, said that had the government acted effectively, the Guwahatians would have been spared the crisis.

“If the Rs 7 crore water supply project of the GMC, which was handed to the Kirloskar Brothers, were completed on time, such a situation would not have arisen,” said Patowary adding that even in the case of the Rs 280 crore JNNURM water supply project, the government had deceived the Guwahatians.

Patowary alleged that a minister diverted the JNNURM water supply project for urban Guwahati to his constituency, which has left the city parched and crying for respite.

Source: Assam Tribune

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