Punjab: Even after 16 years, lakhs of litres of water is being wasted every day

Punjab: A lot of emphasis is being laid on water conservation by government agencies and NGOs, but lakhs of litres of precious groundwater has been wasted day and night in Talwara for the last 16 years. No one has made a serious effort to stop this wastage and as a result, this trend has been continuing since 2010. The construction of MRPD Government College located on Talwara-Mukerian Road was completed in 2009. In the year 2010, a deep borewell was dug to provide drinking water in the campus of this newly built college. As soon as the borewell was completed, water started coming out on its own. Then it was left like that and another deep borewell was dug. The same problem arose again and water started coming out on its own from that borewell too. About 16 years have passed since then and pure drinking water is coming out from these two deep borewells every day, 24 hours a day, without any interruption. Meanwhile, the contractor left the work incomplete. Neither the contractor was able to stop the flow of water nor the local water supply department made any effort to stop the flow of clean water or to use it in these 16 years.

Not only this, the contractor also left big pipes near the deep borewell and went away. The water flowing continuously from the deep borewell has collected in the surrounding land and spread in the empty area of ​​the college campus. Due to the continuous flow of water, the water collected in the empty land of the college campus has taken the form of a pond as well as a jungle. The then principal of the college, Ram Tirth Singh, had informed the XEN of the Water Supply and Sanitation Department Talwara through a letter on March 3, 2014 and requested him to stop the flow of lakhs of liters of water coming out continuously throughout the year from both the deep borewells or to use it. But nothing happened. The local water supply department has also not been able to use this continuously flowing water till now neither for drinking nor for irrigation. Till now, about six to seven acres of the vacant land of the college has been submerged in water.

Bodhraj Talwara, president of PSPCL Employees Union Mukerian Division and Subhash Singh, district president of Nasha Mukt Kandi Sangharsh Committee said that if the continuously flowing water turns towards the college building, then it can pose a danger to the college in future. However, college principal Gurmeet Singh said that there is no danger to the college building as of now and the PWD has declared the college building safe. He said, “This has become a great site of biodiversity as a pond has been formed and many animals drink water there. Also, it has become a habitat for many species. There is no problem in this.” Anuj Sharma, executive engineer of the water supply and sanitation department, said, “This matter is not in my knowledge. I have to investigate it. Since you have brought this matter to my notice, I will investigate and seek a report in this regard from the concerned SDO. Let’s see what can be done.”