Hero Image

Muzaffarpur dist stares at acute water shortage again

MUZAFFARPUR: With the rising mercury and heatwave prevailing in the state for the last 10 days, people residing in Muzaffarpur Municipal Corporation (MMC) area are facing acute water crisis .


Sensing the gravity of the situation, state urban development minister and Muzaffarpur town MLA Suresh Kumar Sharma called an emergency meeting of the officials of local bodies, including the civic body on Tuesday, to cope with theprevailing situation.

“Our department will take every possible step to ensure round-the-clock water supply. I have directed the officials to purchase 20 new water tankers after reviewing the reports sent by urban local bodies ,” he said.

The minister added that he has also asked the municipal corporation officials to install submersible pumps in all 49 wards under its jurisdiction to provide immediate relief to the residents. “Hardly 50% of the residents have access to tap water supplied by the municipal body. Other people fetch sub-surface water with high fluoride and arsenic content to meet their needs,” said MMC commissioner Santosh Dubey.

A social activist and member of water conservation movement Anil Prakash said low rainfall in the region over the last one decade is the reason behind the crisis.

“Rainfall during the monsoon season for the past several years has been very low. Even the duration of the monsoon season has shortened. The water level has dipped to 30 feet,” Anil said adding construction of bandh on both sides of the Bagmati has worsened the condition. “Earlier, floods in the river used to replenish the sub-surface water every year. Now it is not possible due to bandh on both sides,” the social activist said.

Residents on the other hand balme MMC officials for their lackadaisical attitude. Manish Kumar Ojha is among thousands of residents, who have installed submersible pumps in their houses in the last one year to secure uninterrupted water supply as the civic body has failed to do so.

Ranjan Kumar of Sadpura Colony said, “Borewells have dried up because of depletion of groundwater table. A tanker of the MMC having a capacity of 12,000 litre makes three to four trips in the colony, from which people store water for household work. However, the tanker has not come to the colony for the last six days.”

The situation is no different in other areas of the town as locals claimed that ground water level has dipped in the vicinity of Budhi Gandak river. The civic body has 17 water pumping stations in different locations of 28 wards but most of them are defunct.

According to a rough estimate, 4.75 lakh people in 28 wards, who require 4,000 lakh gallon water everyday, are worst-hit. Locals claimed that even private hand pumps installed in houses have gone dry.

PHED superintending engineer Sudheshwar Prasad Singh said the water table has plunged because of scanty rainfall last year. “The department has prepared a detailed plan to dig borewells and hand pumps in villages where the water table has dipped,” Singh said.

READ ON APP