By R Lester Makang
UKHRUL, April 28: Even as the PHED Ukhrul division is trying its level best to ease the present water crisis, residents of Ukhrul town continue to face the chronic shortage of this life-giving substance as every possibility to make up for the depleting water sources at Shirui hills is exhausted at the moment.
Needless to say, the people here are presently facing acute water shortage ever since the water supply department reduced pipeline supply schedule to alternate day and then to once a week due to reported drying up of Shirui River, said Benjamin Awungshi, a resident of Phungreitang West in an interaction with this IFP correspondent on Monday.
“Water received from pipeline hardly suffices our family`s daily needs these days, so we manage to supplement it from local water ponds,” he continued while urging the PHED Ukhrul to work out means to access water from Nungshong river.
Another resident of Phungreitang Tina said that while the department is trying to reach out to areas where there are no pipeline connections, registered consumers here are left in the lurch with just one day pipeline supply in a week when most local water bodies are also drying up.
Meanwhile, R Sorei, a resident of Dungrei has said that his family was not aware of mobile water distributed by PHED Ukhrul at his locality today, and missed the opportunity. He further disclosed that he bought water from a private tanker on the same day by shelling out a whooping Rs. 3000 per trip of 8500 litres in the absence of any means.
On the other hand, PHED Ukhrul has maintained that they are doing their best to ameliorate the current water scarcity problem faced by the public despite limited resources.
According to AE Themreishang, quantity of water received by the department from the lone Shirui source has relatively gone down by almost 50 per cent during this season as compared to normal daily intake of 13.53 lakh litres by the two settling tanks installed at the department treatment plant at Phungreitang during wet seasons.
And there is no option available to compensate for the same from other sources at the moment, he asserted.
“This has compelled us to cut down pipeline supply schedule to one time a week within the town areas, he said before adding that the scheduled morning and evening time tables for different localities remain unchanged.
“Even then we will continue to reach out to residents of other remaining localities through our current mobile water distribution,” he disclosed.
At the same time, the AE further disclosed that the department is providing an open tank of 2000 litres capacity in front of its office where people can fetch water any time but it lately turned empty due to illegal tapping by individuals. He then appealed to all to not draw water illegally in the larger interest of the public.
Meanwhile, expressing helplessness in maintenance failure of the department in certain areas, Themreishang pointed out that lack of department vehicles and equipments like welding machines, coupled with lack of manpower is putting a heavy strain on the staff.
“We have appraised the higher authority of the requirements but the same has not been fulfilled as yet, he added.