Sector 47-D residents fume over dirty water supply

Residents of Sector 47-D in Chandigarh are facing water crisis during the ongoing heatwave. People of the sector said that there was hardly any water coming from the taps and whatever was coming was not potable because of which it couldn’t be used even for household purposes.

A local resident, Jyoti Bhardwaj, said that there were many days this summer when the water supply was completely stopped. “No water to bathe, no water to drink. Everyone from children to the elderly were a troubled lot,” he said while expressing concern.

At the same time, another resident Shailendra Sharma said that the water pressure was so low that water did not even reach the first floor. “The water that comes stinks, there is something like mud in it. It is neither fit for drinking, nor for any household work.”

Many other residents also complained that despite repeated complaints, no permanent solution had been found by the Administration. They said that in summer when the need for water increases, such negligence had a direct impact on the health and lifestyle of the people. Residents have demanded from the MC that water supply be regulated, pipelines be cleaned and necessary technical improvements be made to make the water supply reach higher floors.

Another resident Sumit Kumar said they had made many requests to the MC authorities, but nothing had happened so far. Sometimes a few employees come, inquired about the problems, but did nothing. Authorities are busy passing the bucks on each other. The residents are forced to use motors to fill the water tanks. This is putting extra financial burden on them.

Manohar Lal, another resident, said that sometimes they wonder whether they were living in Chandigarh or some village. Even the villagers are getting good quality water. They said they were now planning to protest as they hardly get any water supply on the second floor.

The city witnessed a shortfall of 15 to 20 MGD of water against the demand of 110 MGD during the summer. Presently, the city is receiving 87 MGD of water. Officers said that 15 to 20 per cent demand of the water increase in every summer season.

Chandigarh