Water shortage: Islamabad Mayor Aziz put on notice.
ISLAMABAD: The mayor of Islamabad was put on notice by the high court on Thursday over the continued shortage of water in the capital.
While hearing a petition on water scarcity filed by Raja Tanvir, Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court issued notices to Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation Mayor Sheikh Anser Aziz.
Tanvir made the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation (IMC) through the mayor and the Capital Development Authority (CDA) respondents in the case.
In the petition, the resident argued that he had filed several applications with the civic authorities but no action seemed to have been taken.
He contended that the authorities had failed to fulfil their constitutional obligations.
He added that the IMC had contracted a private organisation for tube wells in the capital.
Moreover, he said that in view of the growing demand for water, the civic authorities had failed to install new tube wells in the city.
He urged the court to direct the authorities to resolve water crisis and restore water supply to the capital, particularly to residents of Sector I-10.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 28th, 2017.

Even while several parts of the district are facing severe drinking water scarcity for the last couple of months because of severe drought conditions, the officials are going all out to implement various programmes.
Potable drinking water is supplied to the 60 Wards of the Salem Corporation through the Mettur-Salem dedicated water supply scheme, and the Nangavalli old water scheme.
In a majority of the villages, citizens complain that they get water once in 10 days.
Even after reaching the spot, they will have to wait in long queues to collect the water.
In the villages in Kolathur block on the banks of River Cauvery, citizens have started migrating to other parts, due to scarcity of water.
The residents of Nangavalli area say that they are not getting water for days together.
These municipalities and the rural local bodies have been taking initiatives to prevent the illegal tapping of drinking water using motor pumps.
The officials conducted surprise check and seized many pumps.
The district administration nominated 58 special officers to solve the drinking water complaints of the people.
The Salem Corporation on its part has set up a special control room with toll free phone numbers.

Depleted water resources, unquenched thirst, parched throats.
Repally, a small village under Manavapadu mandal under Alampur Taluk of Jogulamba Gadwal district is under severe drinking water crises, as all drinking water sources in the village have dried up except two hand bores.
With summer temperature going up every passing day, the villagers are now expressing apprehensions about the possible predicament they would encounter even these two hand bores go dry in the days ahead.
“We are having only two hand bores to serve the drinking water supply to the entire village.
We have neither an overhead water tank nor adequate underground water supply pipelines to supply tap water to our households.
We are suffering from drinking water scarcity since many years now.
Though the leaders come and promise many things, they are confined only to elections,” says a woman of the village.
With severe drinking water crises arising in the village, old, young and even the school going children are standing in long queues at the hand bores to get their share of water.
The villagers are urging the government authorities to immediately ease their water woes and construct overhead water tank to supply water to each household through water pipelines.
By Amrut Raju Sponsored

Chotisuh visits NLCPR water supply project site in Wokha.
Minister for Public Health Engineering Department (PHED), Chotisuh Sazo on Thursday visited the Non-Lapsable Central Pool of Resources (NLCPR) project site of “augmentation of water supply to Wokha town by pumping”.
The minister was accompanied by PHED chief engineer Er.
Kevisekho Kruse, deputy commissioner Wokha, Wezope Kenye and a host of PHED officers and public leaders.
On completion of the project, Wokha Town is expected to receive 3.75 million litres per day.
The water will be pumped from Engorotchu stream.
According to a department official, during the visit, it was found that the work was near completion and that the water supply project would be formally inaugurated soon.
The official said that with the completion of the project, the department was hopeful that sufficient safe drinking water could be provided to the public and water scarcity problem in Wokha town would be solved.
With the online payment system in process, the official hoped that the water supply would also improve the revenue collection of the department.
Later, the minister also visited the present water supply of Wokha Town through pumping from Etchuchuka which supply 1.75 million litres per day.

Water supply disrupted again.
Aurangabad: City’s water distribution system was once again brought to its knees on Thursday after a civic body contractor — laying drainage line in Kham River — accidentally broke the main supply line.
This led to disruption in supply in the Chaoni Cantonment area where residents could not get tap water, while those receiving water through tankers were also affected.
"We could not fill the main pump from where we supply water to the entire area.
The system of water supply through tankers was also disturbed due to non-availability of water," he said.
The officer said it was the contractor’s responsibility to carry out the repair work.
"We have asked the contractor to restore the line as it broke while the work of Aurangabad Municipal Corporation’s drainage line was going on.
Our main pipeline is also passing through the same location," he said.
However, the supply system in the area is not up to the mark as all consumers get tap water every alternate day.
Further the board which is executing a project of laying internal pipelines in the area is moving at snail’s pace.

Berhampur reeling under water shortage.
Berhampur (odisha), Apr 27 The Silk City of Odisha is reeling under acute shortage of water with a reduction in water supply from multiple sources.
The city requires around 54 million litres of water daily but supply from multiple sources has dipped to 47 million litres a day, an official said.
In peak summer, the demand rises to as much as 70 million litres of water and wells and ponds dry up at that time.
Meanwhile, River Rushikulya, one of the main source of drinking water, is gradually drying up.
"Water from the Rushikulya comes from Madhapur, about 30 km from the city, which generaly supplies around 30 million litres a day to the city," Executive Engineer of Berhampur Public Health Engineering Department, Sitaram Panda, said.
At present, the water supply has reduced to 20 to 25 million litres per day, Panda said.
In the bid to cope with the shortage, Panda said, 34 water tankers have been pressed into service.
We also have plans to bore 140 tubewells in the town and install 125 water tanks," he said The water scarcity is also leading to frequent quarrels among people standing in long queues in front of tube wells and dry taps in several places.
This is a common scene in our locality where water supply is erratic," Bankim Mishra, a resident of Rama Nagara, said.

Eumungerie Water Supply Scheme completed.
After a long wait, residents of Eumungerie and Mogriguy have access to potable water with the completion of the Eumungerie Water Supply Scheme.
After flushing the system in Eumungerie and reaching satisfactory disinfection in accordance with Australian drinking water standards, it was now potable.
“A clean water system is one of the primary health care benefits to any community, so that’s the primary benefit.
But there were also people who in the past had to put up tanks or cart water in from other places and they don’t have to do that now,” Mr Bailey said.
However, Mr Bailey said if someone built in the village they would be able to pay to have the water connected to their house.
The completion of the Eumungerie Water Supply Scheme has been a long time coming.
Council adopted a forward planning proposal to supply reticulated drinking water to Dubbo’s villages in 1995 and subsequently supplied drinking water to Wongarbon in 2000, Brocklehurst in 2001 and Ballimore in 2010.
The design for the Eumungerie Water Supply Scheme began in 2014, Mr Bailey said.
Construction took more than 12 months and included more than 35 kilometres of pipeline starting from the reservoir north of Mogriguy.

Rising temperature dries up wells, water projects across Odisha.
Kutra block with 16 gram panchayats (GPs) has a population of 80,000 and almost all the villages and hamlets are facing scarcity of drinking water.
Villagers are mostly dependent on tube wells, open wells and natural water streams.
A piped water supply project of Rural Water Supply & Sanitation (RWSS) at Panchara was rendered defunct after trial run in 2014 and a similar project at Biringatoli is also not functioning for the last couple of years.
Eight concrete reservoirs for round the clock water supply at Kutra block headquarters are also defunct for long.
At many dry pockets of the block, the situation is turning grim with tube wells not yielding enough water.
Locals said the administration should consider supplying water from three large pits of open cast dolomite and limestone mines at Katang to nearby areas.
Villagers of Baunspada, Andiapara, Bhogra and Jhirpani of Kiringsara GP, Kadopada, Birtola and Upartola village of Purkhapali GP, Jharangdipa, Jamupada, Baunspada, Malupada and Girjapada villages of Kutra GP, Toppopada, Majhipada of Kandeimunda GP, Khuntmunda village of Gangajal GP and many areas of Kandumunda and Rajabasa GPs are facing water scarcity.
Several piped water projects of RWSS are defunct.
Kutra BDO Jagannath Hanuman said the block has about 1,000 tube wells and the block has adequate funds to take up digging up of tube wells if required.

Shorewood boil and bottled drinking water advisory is canceled.
The Village of Shorewood’s precautionary boil/bottled drinking water advisory is no longer in effect.
According to a press release, The DNR informed the Shorewood Water Works that drinking water samples drawn on April 25th, 2017 show no indication of bacterial contamination.
Shorewood Waterworks had an approximate 55% pressure loss in its water system due to Milwaukee Waterworks maintenance projects, according to the Shorewood Utilities press release.
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources requires that two water samples are collected following a loss of water pressure.
Therefore, they recommend no one drink the water or use it for potable purposes until samples are confirmed safe.
It is advised to not leave any faucets open to avoid water flowing when it is turned on again.
Once water pressure returns it will spit air and run cloudy.
Water can be used for flushing and washing when it comes back on, but not for drinking.
Residents will be notified when water is once again safe to drink.

People face hardships due to leakage in main pipeline.
Normal water supply could be restored from Thursday NEARLY half of the population, on Tuesday faced water scarcity due to discontinuation of water supply from Ramnagar Plant.
A large number of overhead tanks, which supplied potable water to nearly 40 wards of the city remained parched.
Residents of various affected areas complained that they did not receive potable water through tankers which was promised by Jabalpur Municipal Corporation (JMC).
A large number of residents from nearly 40 wards of the city faced water scarcity due to leakage in main water supply pipeline.
Residents could not get potable water on Tuesday morning.
Though the Water Department of JMC started repairing the work, but it would not be able to resume normal water supply on Wednesday as well.
The Water Department has started repairing work but it could complete the work in next one or two days.
Water Department has claimed that it had sent a large number of water tankers to various affected areas in the city and provided needed water to the residents.
Now, the fresh leakage in the pipeline would again trouble people for several days.