Water paucity leaves Nurpur dry and angry

Erratic water supply has been a bane of the residents of Nurpur town for a fortnight. The Jal Shakti Department (JSD), which has the responsibility to supply water to the consumers, has failed to ensure water supply without disruption in the town.

Residents are dependent on tap water to meet their needs. Besides, it has come to light that the HP State Electricity Board Ltd (HPSEBL) has also failed to ensure adequate electricity for water supply schemes meant for the town.

At present, three water supply schemes at Letri, Ward 9 and Chakki are catering to the daily needs of the town, but the water supplied from these is not enough to meet the demand.

Resentment is brewing up among residents as they are getting water for only a few minutes a day, that too with low pressure. Residents living on the first or second floor are a harried lot as they only manage to fill two or three buckets during the brief period the water is supplied.

Udith Gandhi, a resident of Ward 2, said taps are running dry for the past three days and it has made their lives miserable. Anu Raina, another resident, said she has never seen such a situation in her area.

Kuldeep Raj, a retired government employee who lives in Ward 8, said his locality gets water for only a few minutes a day.

Sukesh Kumar, who lives in Ward 4, said the JSD should take necessary measures to address the problem of erratic water supply.

Promod Gupta, president, Nurpur Sudhar Sabha, said the authorities concerned should streamline the water supply and check its misuse and wastage so that everyone can get water as per their needs.

Anand Baloria, Executive Engineer, JSD, Nurpur division, said the frequent power failures and low voltage are the main reason for the erratic water supply. He said the issue needs to be brought to the notice of the local authorities of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited.