Drinking Water Crisis: Water Pipes Damaged Beyond Repair

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Drinking water crisis in the State’s capital city here will further aggravate with the Guwahati Municipal Corporation (GMC) is struggling to repair its water pipes damaged in many areas due to ongoing construction roads & drains.

‘Water pipes have been damaged beyond repair in many city areas. Lack of coordination between the PWD and GMC can be attributed to such development. The PWD is digging roads in many areas in chaotic manner resulted in snapping and damage of water pipes. If the GMC was intimated about the PWD’s plans of digging roads, it could have taken preventive measures,” an engineer at Water Works Department of GMC said.

The engineer said on the basis of complaints received from residents the GMC officials and experts recently visited various areas of the city. During the visits it has been found that many damaged pipes in different city areas are now beyond repair. The most affected areas are Lachit Nagar, Gandhi Basti, Pub Sarania, Rehabari, Birubari, Kumarpara and some parts of Paltan Bazar.

“Drains have been constructed over water pipes in many areas. Now, the GMC will either have to dismantle the newly constructed drains to get access to damaged water pipes for repair or leave the pipes as condemned ones. We do not have adequate funds and resources to install new pipelines immediately in all affected areas. Residents of bye-lane 7 of Lachit Nagar have come forward to repair the damaged pipelines at their own costs,” the engineer said.

Residents of many areas are receiving muddy and dirty water due to leakages in water pipes. “Leakages were caused due to haphazard digging of roads by the PWD,” the engineer said.

“Excavators came to my area few months ago and dug the road by damaging water pipes. For the last three months we are receiving dirty water not fit for consumption and other areas,” Ramen Das, a resident of Lachit Nagar said. He said when aggrieved residents approached the PWD office at Chandmari the officials blamed the GMC for not helping them to identify areas, roads and lanes that fall under the corporation’s water pipe network.

So blame game continues and city residents continue to suffer from acute drinking water crisis with no hope of getting respite immediately.

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