Tenders floated for supply of water through tankers

Hamirpur (Himachal Pradesh), May 7: Most of the parts of Hamirpur district located in the middle of the state are in severe water crisis thanks to scanty rainfall during last monsoon and thereafter in winter seasons.

The situation is becoming alarming with the mercury rising day by day. The overall water supply situation has already worsened in the interiors of the district, especially in Upper Bamsan, its nearby areas of Mewa and the interiors of Bijheri areas due to the hot conditions prevailing there.

The district has a population of more than four lakh as per 2001 census. The district mainly gets water from the rains, which have not come on regular intervals this year. Moreover, the reservoirs from where the water is lifted for the supply have also started drying up or have dried up due to excessive heat and paucity of rains during the last monsoon season and even in the winter season.

Reports reaching here from interiors say the century-old water sources have either dried up or started drying up. The worst affected are the areas covered under the government water supply schemes as the discharge of water in the reservoirs under the schemes has come down by 50 to 60 per cent.

The people are reportedly upset over the prospects of remaining without water during summer. Most of them, however, have already started the maintenance of other water sources like bowlis, wells and even khatris (hand hewn caves).

The shortage of funds for the augmentation of the old water supply schemes as well as the recruitment of technical staff to manage the schemes is also another reason for the shortage of water in the interiors of the district.

The state government has yet not sanctioned adequate staff likes pumping operators and helpers against more than 200 vacant posts in the district.

Superintending Engineer of Hamirpur circle of irrigation-cum-Public health department, R P Tandon said that the matter for the shortage of staff had been referred to the state government. He said that since no reply had been received from there, the matter would again be sent for getting approval from Shimla.

However, insiders in the department told UNI that the ban imposed by the state government for fresh recruitments had led to this mess.

According to them, if this situation continued and the state government handed over the control of the water supply schemes to the gram panchayats as per its recent decision, the situation will aggravate further.

The local people blame their political leaders for their sufferings. They have demanded sanctioning of more funds for the priority schemes instead of funds for such projects, which take years to complete.

Bhoranj tehsil with population of more than one lakh is the worst affected. The tehsil falls in the Assembly segments of Mewa (Reserve) and Bamsan. The area is known as rice bowl of Hamirpur district yet in summer it becomes one of the drought-prone areas of the state due to lack of water in reservoirs here. A visit to parts of the tehsil revealed that water shortage made had made life of people miserable, as the water table in the region has gone down. Almost all government managed water supply sources had gone dry or are in the process of being dried up due to lack of water in khuds of Seer, Sunaihal and Chainth. These khuds play havoc in rainy season.

Jandoo Ram (56) who runs a small shop on the roadside near Patta village said that they get water only when an officer of the public health department visits the area to access the shortage.

People of other parts of the Patta town were also upset over the water shortage.

At Jahoo, people were banking on old wells for water needs, as water of the local scheme was not up to the required level. Local gram panchayat runs the water supply scheme from its own funds.

However, this scheme has also failed to help the local people, as the gram panchayat is facing shortage of funds.

Ram Lal Sharma, Jahoo gram panchayat pradhan demanded taking over of the water supply scheme by the government. He said that the gram panchayat was short of funds and it was difficult to run the scheme.

People of Amroh and Bhukker gram panchayats were also facing water crisis and hoped that the water tankers would come. Dalip Singh of Amroh village said that there was no water in taps for the past one week. The situation has become alarming due to un-availability of water in hand pumps. They demanded immediate supply of water to them through tankers as had been done earlier.

Alarming over the reports of the water shortage, the district administration has floated tenders for supply of water to the people through tankers and trucks. Hamirpur Additional District Magistrate, Hira Singh Thakur when contacted said that once tenders were received and opened, the work for the supply of water in the worst affected area would start. He said that the water would be lifted from nearby Amlehrar in Hamirpur and Parnal in Bilaspur district, where there is ample water available in the reservoirs.

He said that the district administration was seized of the water crisis and would do its best to help the affected people.

UNI