TURA APR 28: Scorching summer heat coupled with ten hours of load shedding and now acute shortage of portable water seems to be the summer miseries for most of the localities in Garo hills, especially in West Garo hills.
Residents seem to be doomed to suffer the scourge of the state government’s ineptitude to provide them with basic amenities like uninterrupted power supply and drinking water.
To add to their cup of summer woes, Garo hills residents have to bear the sweltering summer heat which shot up to 39 degree Celsius, said to be the highest in the last three decades.
In Tura, the district headquarter of West Garo hills district, temperature normally hovers around 25-29 degree Celsius in summer. If one takes the 15 hours load shedding in Garo hills, one can well imagine the peril of the residents of this region.
From March till the onset of monsoon, a majority of the localities in Tura town faces regular water problem. West Garo Hills deputy commissioner Pravin Bakshi said, “We have called for an urgent water crisis meeting and are working out a modality with the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department”.
As per the figures of the PHE department, Tura town needs 3.1 million gallons of water a day. Officials in PHE department say that there is a shortfall of about 6 lakh gallons per day.
In Tura, distribution of water is done both by PHE and Garo Hills Autonomous District Council (GHADC). PHE Executive Engineer Saljrang Sangma said, “This is the lean season and as such there is a problem of water shortage. While we have been trying to draw water all through the day, we have not been able to do so during the evening hours due to low voltage”.
Sangma even blamed the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) for failing to live up to its promise of providing 24 hour electricity line to the department. He said, “In 1998, we had taken up the matter with MeECL for a dedicated electricity connection, which is yet to materialised”.
The add to the water problems, the GHADC does not seems to take the problem seriously as it refuses to even participate in water crisis meeting convened by the district administration.
“There is a huge depletion in the catchment areas leading to the drying of streams. Something concrete needs to be done for a permanent solution to the problem. The GHADC should make all efforts to protect these areas or the water crisis is set to get worse in the coming years”, said Sangma.
Tura Municipal Board is supplying water in different localities an exorbitant rate of Rs. 1500 for 6000 liters. The private suppliers are charging Rs. 200 to Rs. 500 per 1000 liters but the transport cost ranges from Rs. 1000 – 2000 per local trip.
Nearby water sources like Ganol and Eden Bari is flooded with people. Most of them are using the water sources for bathing and washing clothes. Ganol river is the main source of water for Tura town, located about 5 km from here.-From our Correspondent
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