KL Report
SRINAGAR
The twin landslide-hit water supply schemes of Srinagar continue to put large population of city at hostage—even after the month since the bad weather caught Public Health Engineering (PHE) emergency and restoration measures off-guard.
Now, the PHE officials said the parts of old city and city outskirts facing water crisis will have to wait for another 10 days to get normal water supply.
The officials said two Water Supply Schemes (WSS)—Rangil and Alisteang—in the central Kashmir’s Ganderbal got affected due to the breach and mudslides triggered by heavy downpour last month.
“There was a breach in the Sindh canal due to which water to Rangil and Alisteang WSS was affected,” a PHE official said. “The department immediately made another canal operational but one more breach occurred at Prang and Kowbal, which rolled back the supply line.”
But, the official said, PHE is restoring both the water supply schemes on war-footing. “It will take us another 10 days to restore the normal water supply in Hazratbal and other badly affected areas of city.”
Amid the delayed restoration, the water-crisis hit city population is finding it hard to stick to routine. “It is really getting hard to carry with routine works without the proper water supply,” says Mushtaq Ahmad, a resident of Habbak. “Due to water scarcity, my family members are forced to visit their relatives for bathing and washing clothes.”
However, the PHE official has advised the affected people to contact PHE office for availing mobile water service. “We are doing our best to restore both the water supply schemes as soon as possible,” said Mohammad Yousuf, PHE inspector in Hazratbal.
Pertinently, the current water supply crisis is the second instance when the both WSS got affected due to breach and mudslides—that too in past two months.
