‘110 water tankers deployed, will hire more if needed’
Nawshaba Iqbal
SRINAGAR, Dec 12: As Kashmir continues to witness a prolonged dry spell, the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department today said it is fully prepared to handle any potential impact on water supply if the situation worsens.
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Speaking to ‘Excelsior,’ Chief Engineer Rakesh Kumar Gupta said the department has put contingency plans in place to manage a possible shortfall.
“If the dry spell continues and a shortfall occurs, it would affect tail-end areas first, for which arrangements are already in place,” he said.
Gupta added that the current water supply remains stable, with all major treatment plants functioning normally.
“Plants at Nishat, Sukhnag and Ganderbal together supply around 92 million of Gallons per Day (MGD) of treated water, and there is no shortfall as of now. Discharge is normal and we are maintaining regular supply,” he said.
To meet any additional demand, the department has deployed around 80 water tankers and hired 30 more, with provision to hire additional tankers if needed.
He said multiple measures have been planned to manage supply during winter, including water conservation, regulation at sources, and installation of temporary stone bunds to prevent wastage. “We will protect and conserve all sources to ensure steady flow,” he added.
With winter expected to bring power fluctuations and pipeline-related issues, Gupta said that mobile generator sets have been kept ready for treatment plants and pumping stations, while sufficient POL stocks have been stored in advance.Gupta said freezing of pipelines is another major concern during ‘Chillai Kalan’.
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