The supply of dirty water in the old Jammu area after the first monsoon showers has negated the PHE Department’s claim of providing safe and pure drinking water.
The rain that lashed the Jammu region yesterday brought relief for people from the sweltering heat but also brought problems with many taps in the city going dry and many others supplying muddy water.
The Sitli filtration plant at Nagrota and Boria and Dhounthli water lifting stations, which supply water to nearly 75 per cent of the households of the Jammu city, are supplying muddy water which is likely to invite an epidemic.
On the other hand, the city is facing an acute drinking water shortage due to the slowed operations in pumping stations and filtration plants following the accumulation of silt in machinery.
Though the September 2014 floods had damaged the Tawi filtration plants, the government had gone on board with design changes to Silti filtration plant to make it flood-resistant, particularly during monsoons.
A PHE official said after the 2014 flashfloods, the Sitli filtration plant was given a facelift by shifting some machinery above the flood level, but it did not work.
“The flood levels in the Tawi river cannot be gauged and the facelift was given to some possible extent only keeping in view the age and performance capability of the machinery,” said the official.
He said the pumps lifting groundwater are also working below their capacity due to frequent power cuts in Jammu.
Nearly 15 lakh people in Jammu are worst-affected due to the shortage of drinking water for the past two days as the system has totally collapsed. The ensuing monsoon is likely to spell doom if the PHE Department does not react to the wakeup call.
With no alternative water source and Tawi being exploited ruthlessly, the city is heading for terrifying times. Its population is expected to reach 20 lakh by 2024.
“The reason of a muddy water supply in some localities could be leakage in pipes. The Sitli filtration plant is intact and working to its capacity,” said Kuldeep Magotra, Superintendent Engineer, Hydraulic Circle, Jammu.
He, however, said due to the erratic power supply in Old Jammu, the water supply in some areas has been affected which could be rectified only after power became stable.
The Superintendent Engineer Gagan Jyoti of the PHE Mechanical Urban Circle, Jammu, did not respond to calls.
Other problems
The Sitli filtration plant at Nagrota and Boria and Dhounthli water lifting stations, which supply water to nearly 75% of the households of the Jammu city, are supplying muddy water, which is likely to invite an epidemic
Also, the city is facing an acute drinking water shortage due to the slowed operations in pumping stations and filtration plants following the accumulation of silt in machinery
Despite rains, water crisis hits Jammu
