Early summer triggers water woes in Taj city

By Brij Khandelwal

Agra, March 28 (SocialNews.XYZ) The abrupt rise in temperature has triggered a massive demand for water in the Taj city.

While the ruling party cadres are still enjoying the hangover of a spectacular victory at the hustings, ordinary folks in Agra are battling water scarcity.

In the past six months, the old and rusted pipelines in the city have set a new record of bursting, depriving chunks of population in new colonies and old 'mohallas' of precious drinking water. "For almost a year, the main Yamuna Kinara road from the Water Works to Taj Ganj, was dug up for laying a new pipeline to supply Ganga Jal, and again they have dug up the Jeoni Mandi road. All they do is to dig up the roads every now and then, but the problem is never resolved," says river activist Rahul Raj.

Agra, home to the majestic Taj Mahal, attracts more tourists than any other city in India. "The problem is of management. A basic need like clean potable water is not on the priority list of the politicians. Yamuna continues to flow dirty, carrying all the industrial effluents and toxics posing health hazards," laments environmentalist Devashish Bhattacharya.

Each year during the lean summer months, the Yamuna water level goes alarmingly low, disrupting supply from the Jeoni Mandi Water Works, he adds.

The city of around 2.5 million citizens needs around 400 mld water, only around 300 mld is being supplied by the two water works. This includes around 140 cusecs received from the 140 km long Ganga Jal pipeline which brings water from a canal in the Bulandshahar district. During peak summer months, the demand for water goes up which is met by ubiquitous submersible pumps, tube wells and hand pumps. But since the water table has fallen drastically, a deep crisis is looming, more in the vast rural hinterland.

"Each year the water table is going down... A demand repeatedly made for a barrage on Yamuna river has not received the attention of the state government," said River Connect Campaign activist Ranjan Sharma.

For the past fortnight, dozens of localities in the city have been struggling with water shortages. The municipal water works has arranged tanker supplies, but these are inadequate and erratic, say citizens of these neighbourhoods.

Water supply has been badly affected in the newer colonies. The taps release more air than water, says an angry resident of the Awas Vikas Colony.

Ramnagar in Shah ganj area saw the 12 inch water pipeline leak, which led to suspension of supply to over a dozen colonies. In Panchkula area, close to the Joota Mandi, another pipeline leaked which deprived residents of Jaipur House colony of water. Loha mandi, Surya Nagar, some colonies in the Trans Yamuna area did not get water causing hardships to the residents. The general manager of the Water Works, however, said leaks were being promptly attended and water tankers were being sent to area where there was some delay.

But Eco Club president Pradip says leaked pipelines are not promptly repaired and this results in huge quantity of water flowing waste. Agra has two water works, one at Jeoni Mandi, more than a hundred years old, and the other at Sikandra, which is just 25 years old and uses an Israeli technique to clean water. The pipeline from this needs extensive repairs. "Till the repair works are done, citizens will need to look for alternative sources," Pradip added.

With nine MLAs, two MPs and one Mayor, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has come under heavy fire from thirsty citizens. "We have long been demanding that a barrage be constructed downstream of the Taj Mahal to store monsoon surplus water flowing down Yamuna. Though the project was cleared three years ago by the Yogi government, work has not yet begun," said Pandit Jugal Kishore of the River Connect Campaign. The life line of the city, river Yamuna is in a pathetic state but, so far, there has been no initiative to ensure uninterrupted water flow in the river despite directives by the apex court and the NGT, adds activist Deepak Rajput.

Source: IANS