Locals face water crisis as tubewells fail in Sirsa

With peak summer around the corner, Sirsa city is battling an alarming water crisis.

What began as a shortfall in canal water supply has now snowballed into a full-fledged crisis due to the failure of multiple tubewells across the city, especially in Kirti Nagar and surrounding wards.

The situation in Kirti Nagar, particularly in ‘Kalu Ram Sethi Wali Gali’ and nearby streets, has turned critical.

The area is not connected to the canal water system and depends solely on a tubewell near the government school. However, this tubewell has been non-functional for the past five days.

Locals say there is no clarity on when it will be repaired.

As a result, residents are left with no choice but to buy water tankers, which cost between Rs 800-1000 per trip, and barely last a day in large households.

On Sunday evening and Monday morning, frustrated residents, mostly women and the elderly, staged protests with empty buckets and pots, demanding immediate action. “We approached the councillor of Ward 10, but he simply raised his hands and said he cannot do anything,” said Santosh Devi, a resident. “How long can we keep buying water at such high prices?”

The crisis is not limited to one ward. Ward 14 and Ward 23 are also facing serious shortages.

In Ward 23, two key tubewells near the Thed area and Durga Mata Temple have broken down, leaving hundreds of families without water. Residents claimed that, despite repeated calls and complaints, the local councillor and municipal officials did respond or help.

People transporting water on scooters, rickshaws, bicycles, and even on foot have become sights too familiar for Sirsa. Some residents have started pooling resources and hiring tankers together, but rising costs and increasing demand have made this unsustainable.

“We are paying Rs 800 for a tanker that barely lasts a day. Even tanker operators are charging more now,” said Roshan, a shopkeeper.

Deepak Kumar, Sub-Divisional Officer (Public Health), acknowledged the crisis.

“The tubewell has failed, and an estimate for a new one has been sent. Meanwhile, we are trying to supply water from nearby functional tubewells,” he said.

While residents are desperate for water, the Public Health Engineering Department is also running a city-wide drive against illegal water usage.

On Monday, under SDO Kumar’s leadership, 21 institutions on Begu Road were issued notices for using domestic water connections for commercial activities.

According to District Water and Sanitation Advisor Rakesh Soglan, 13 washing stations, four hotels, two factories, a petrol pump, and a marriage palace were misusing domestic connections.

“They have been given seven days to switch to commercial connections or make their own arrangements. If they fail, legal action will be taken,” he said.

Soglan added that washing stations were not even eligible for commercial water supply, and must arrange their own water.

Residents using piped water to wash cars at home could face fines of Rs 2,500, and water disconnection.

Haryana Tribune