Page 57 - English Tehelka Issue 12 - June 30, 2018

water crisis

A city in deep • water threat: Shimlites are getting water has closed the new bookings. Despite

this, the fact is that 50 per cent of the
after a gap of five days
water crisis supply in the city. They were alleging tourists do not come by making ad -
vance bookings and they search for ho-
tels after reaching here.
Mohinder Seth, President, Shimla
that water supply in the VIP areas is be-
ing made for more than one hour but Hoteliers Association, said that the
Tourists arriving in Shimla have been asked by the hotels to the common people for only for 20 municipal officials had been warned
about water problem about a month
minutes. Now, after the strictness of
to arrange for drinking water on their own or return;and the court, many hotels stranded with- ago “but they took it lightly and no
locals are defecating in open to avoid water shortage, out getting more water are taking new efforts were made to face the problem.
tourists or asking them to make ar - This has hit our business and we have
reports rakesh rocky rangements for drinking water them- to bear the loss of this negligence of
selves. They are also being given half the corporation and the tourists are
ills are not calling you’’! This who are forced to drink unclean water issued an area-wise schedule for water distribution, the water is wasted in bucket for use. going away.”
is the WhatsApp status of from the natural water sources without supply in the city. After the strictness huge litres. According to Vineet Chaudhary, The threat of water problem in
many youths in Shimla filtration are entering in the unknown of the court, the day-to-day water sup- In Ashwani Khad, the testing of wa- the chief secretary of the state govern- the city even reached the court. The
nowadays. Previously, the vortex of the disease. In May, the sew- ply chain is being given to the public ter got failed recently, resulting in no ment, the reason for the water sup- Himachal High Court Bar Association
H usual message for sum - erage water got mixed with drinking through newspapers and radio, includ- water supply from this main source of ply being done in Shimla was that the boycotted the court proceedings on
mers used to be- “Hills are calling you’’. water supply in the city which caused ing the mobile number of the corpora- water in Shimla. There have been many water sources got dried in the Gumma the issue of water shortage. The Bar
Despite problems, which are common health problems to at least half dozen tion concerned nodal officer. cases of water pollution in the sewage drinking water source. According to Association raised this issue to show
in many hilly areas, Shimlites love in- people. Two years ago, such negligence Shimla’s water crisis shows the fail- treatment of Malyana recently. In the Chaudhary, this time, due to low snow- solidarity with the Shimlites on the is-
viting friends and relatives to Shimla caused the death of more than two doz- ure of all the governments till now and British period, a large tank was made on fall, rainfall and high temperature, the sue. The Association has alleged that
in summers and stroll on the Mall Road en people, including an IAS officer, died their indifference towards the future. the ridge to collect water, after which problem got deepen. there is no shortage of water in Shimla,
and Ridge. But, this time the scenario due to Jaundice in Shimla. According to experts, the water crisis of there was no tank to collect the water. In spite of this crisis in Shimla, a yet the administration is not making
has changed. The reason ismount - Himachal Pradesh High Court has this time is a dangerous sign of future Hundreds of tourists and local people large number of tourists are coming. people available with water accord-
ing water scarcity problem in the hilly instructed that extra water supply was of Shimla. Many organisations and in- roam over the same tank every day. Be- Every day around 14 to 18 thousand ing to their needs. The association also
town. stopped to the VIPs and influential ho- tellectuals have been suggesting that fore the court directions, people were tourists are reaching the capital city. By said that if there was such a shortage of
The seriousness of the crises could tels. Now, the administration has come Shimla should remain only as a tourist angry over the ill-treatment of water June 15, about 35 per cent of the hotels water, then why not there is lack of
be judged from the fact that around out with the rationing of the water and place and the capital should be shifted water in homes of VIPs and hotels. The
35 per cent hoteliers in Shimla have somewhere else, or big offices should association has warned that if the situ-
stopped fresh bookings as there is an be shifted to Dharamshala, Mandi or Crisis looms large city needs 45 MLD water ation does not change then a big move-
acute shortage of water in the hotels to Sundernagar. daily which is not available. ment will be launched. The Bar Associa-
meet the requisite necessity. And, those The water supply has The representatives of Municipal The state has around 950 tion also alleged that black marketing
who are arriving have been asked by improved now. We are Corporation, who are elected to solve When Britishers made water supply schemes and of water is going on in the city due to
Shimla their summer capi-
the hotels to manage drinking water on making all efforts to pro- the problems of the city, have failed to tal, the facilities were made out of them, 200 are dry or which the people have been affected.
their own. The administration has less vide adequate water to fulfil their responsibilities. The Shimla for the population of 16,000 defunct indicating a seri- Chief Minister Jayaram Thakur held
than half of the water available to meet the citizens. We are facing Mayor, amid serious water crisis, went only. As per the 2011 cen- ous problem in the coming many review meetings in the last few
the total demand of the city per day. the problem of silt due on a trip to China on May 26. She came sus, the population of Shim- years. Now, the Jai Ram days. It was informed in the meeting
People are getting water after a gap of to recent rains. We have back after eight days. It is now being de- la has gone up to 1,69,570. government in the state that an adequate number of tankers has
five days and that too for a teeny-weeny also taken serious note of manded that foreign/ study tours of MC has presented a water plan been deployed to ensure water supply
time. The latest problem which the Ir- illegal connection direct office bearers should be stopped run- Every year, around one lakh draft of 4,751 crore to the in Shimla Municipal Corporation and
tourists visit the Queen of
rigation and the Public Health (IPH) de- from the main supply line ning at the cost of public money. Hills. From the British rule, central government. State at least one tanker has been installed in
partment and Municipal Corporation and as many as two dozen The major sources of water supply the population has in- official held a meeting with each ward.
(MC) authorities are facing is presence such connections have to the city of Shimla are Gumma, Giri, creased ten times, however, the Central Water Commi- Sushmita Arya, a tourist from Deh-
of huge silt after recent rains. This has been disconnected. We Churath, Cheyad and Koti Brandi. The the facilities which include sion (CWC) on June 13 at radoon, who was staying in a local
affected the pumping of water from at have also sent a proposal IPH department was lifting average the water have not been New Delhi. The state IPH hotel said that they were provided only
least three water sources. to the central government 18 Million Litres Per Day (MLD) from upgraded, according to the Minister, Mahendra Singh half bucket of water for baths by the
The most serious water crisis has not and we are hoping that it Gumma, 10 MLD from Giri, 2 MLD Thakur, while talking to hotel people. Another tourist Nagend-
only created drinking water problems will be soon cleared by the from Churath, 1 MLD from Cheyad census. More than 500 Tehelka expressed that ra from Ahmedabad told Tehelka that
hotels have mushroomed in
but also there is the shortage of water central government. and 2 MLD from Koti Brandi water Shimla and various govern- after commissioning of this he had to purchase drinking water
in the flush to clean the defecation. To —Jayaram Thakur, sources which is still about 10 MLD ment and private offices scheme water problem in from the shop as hotel refused to pro-
save home water, many people are be- Chief Minister less than the actual demand. Then the have come up too. The Shimla will end. vide the same.
ing seen defecating in the open. The leakage of water on the big scale. The
sewerage tanks are stinking and those reason is that during pumping and letters@tehelka.com

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56-57 Water Crisis Rakesh Rocky.indd 2 16/06/18 12:29 PM 56-57 Water Crisis Rakesh Rocky.indd 3 16/06/18 12:29 PM