Water supply to be hit due to silt at source
Drinking water supply in Shimla will be affected for the next few days due to increase in turbidity in Gumma, one of the main drinking water supply sources to the state capital.
The district received heavy rain on Sunday due to which turbidity in Nautikhad, Gumma, rose to 1850 Nephelometric Turbidity Unit (NTU), resulting in increased silt in water, making it unfit for drinking.
The rise in turbidity was also witnessed in other water sources.
A spokesperson of Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL), a company that manages the water supply in the town, said there will be disturbance in water supply for the next couple of days in Shimla town due to high turbidity and floods at all water treatment plants. The SJPNL has requested the people to use water judiciously as the situation may continue till water level recedes at the plants.
It has also requested the people to drink water after boiling for 10 minutes. The spokesperson mentioned that due to high turbidity there are concerns over water quality. “During monsoon, our body is prone to infections. Most diseases in the rainy season are waterborne, such as jaundice, cholera and other gastrointestinal illnesses and drinking filtered or boiled water is essential. In the rainy season, turbidity increases in the water sources. Although, turbidity alone has no health effects, but it can interfere with disinfection, allowing harmful microbes, including bacteria, viruses and parasites, to grow,” he said.
Shimla receives its water supply from six main sources — Gumma, Giri, Charith, Churot, Koti Brandi and Seog.
On an average, the state’s capital requires 45 Millions of Litres Per Day (MLD) to 48 MLD water to meet the requirement of people.
On Sunday, Shimla received about 42.52 MLD water, including 19.35 MLD from Gumma, 15.38 MLD from Giri, 3.39 MLD from Koti Brandi, 2.87 MLD from Churot, 1.17 MLD from Chairh and 0.35 MLD from Seog water supply schemes.
Himachal Tribune