Poor power scenario hits water supply from 95 pc restored tube-wells: Dr Yadav
*JMC helpline receives 4600 calls, addresses 629
Sanjeev K Sharma
JAMMU, Sept 2: About 50 per cent of Jammu city is presently reeling under acute water crisis as the unprecedented heavy rains and flash floods have caused devastating damage to all the three filtration plants supplying water to many parts of the city and the power outrage has further worsened the situation throwing the normal life out of gear while the efforts of the concerned authorities to beat the crisis are practically proving a big failure prompting widespread public protests.
Follow the Daily Excelsior channel on WhatsApp
Sources informed that all the three filtration plants on river Tawi–Sitlee, Boria and Dhounthly were badly hit by the devastating deluge due to which the pipes (rising mains) coming from Nagrota Sitlee to Jammu were washed away and only 30 per cent of these are working at present and the filtration plant has been badly and heavily silted hitting the water supply from this plant resulting which areas like Sarwal, Ustad Mohalla, Rehari, Janipur etc are not getting the water supply even after five days.
An officer at Jal Shakti Department (JSD) informed that it may take some 5-7 more days to restore the system as about 70 meter length of the water supply pipe at Sitlee filtration plant has been washed away in heavy floods in river Tawi.
“If rainfall continues, the damage may further increase,” he further said.
It is pertinent to mention here that Public Health Engineering (PHE), now JSD (for Urban Jammu) was handed over to the urban local body Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) some two years back with all urban water supply schemes and four PHE Divisions including two Civil and two Mechanical.
Sources informed that about 30-40 per cent of Jammu city including entire Jammu West and North areas get water supply from Sitlee Filtration Plant.
When contacted JMC Commissioner, Dr. Devansh Yadav informed that the rising mains of Sitlee Filtration Plant were washed away in the flash floods and men were on the job to restore the same but the continuous rainfall was hindering the restoration.
“As two out of the four rising mains were restored two days back, the remaining two were completely washed away and were neither retrieved nor repaired,” he maintained adding: “As an alternative, new pipes have been arranged which are being welded and laid along the road sides after digging in Panjtirthi area.”
Dr. Yadav also said that due to heavy floods, Dhounthly Filtration Plant at Panjtirthi got submerged in water and was not fully restored even by now while the pumping motors of five tube-wells of Boria Plant were washed away in the flash-floods and the filtration plant has only been partially restored by now.
“As far as tube-wells are concerned, 90-95 per cent of these have been restored but water supply from these is not being ensured properly due to poor power supply,” he continued.
The JMC Commissioner also said that if power supply remains normal, tube-wells will become fully functional which will reduce the crisis and after the repair of submerged filtration plants, situation will further improve.
Sources informed that after the complaints regarding exorbitant charging by private water tankers poured in, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Jammu ordered that all these tankers should be kept at the disposal of JSD throughout the day to serve the common public.
“Following this development, all the 42 water tankers owned by JMC along with 52 additional private tankers have started supplying water to most of the crisis hit areas of the city,” they further said.
However, people from most parts of the city claimed that supply from the tankers is not being made properly and logically.
“A tanker has been tasked to supply water to many families which makes no sense as none of the households is getting adequate water due to such distribution,” an irked resident from the Janipur area stated.
Meanwhile, JMC has also activated its helpline number for addressing water crisis but the public is complaining that none at the JMC end picks phone despite repeated calls.
Sources at JMC informed that three persons were engaged to attend the helpline phone calls and another five to monitor the same and in the last 12 hours about 4600 calls were received of which only 629 were addressed.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
