The Hindu 11.02.2010

GVMC lacks long-term plan for water supply, says CPI(M)

Staff Reporter

Stock-taking: CPI(M) leaders B. Ganga Rao, K. Lokanadham, B. Eswaramma and K. Vimala at Yeleru Reservoir in Visakhapatnam.

VISAKHAPATNAM: Accusing the municipal corporation of resorting to creation of artificial water scarcity and lacking a long-term plan, the CPI(M) city unit saw no need for alternate day supply.

As huge amounts are being spent from the Jawaharlal National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), pipelines should be laid from Yeleru and Raiwada to Narava to prevent loss due to evaporation, seepage etc.

While laying pipeline from Yeleru spending between Rs.500 crores and Rs.600 crores would result in the city getting 68 mgd of water, a similar move from Raiwada would have yielded 27 mgd.

A CPI(M) team comprising district secretariat members A. Ajay Sarma and B. Ganga Rao, city secretary K. Lokanadham, floor leader in the GVMC B. Eswaramma, corporator K. Vimala and district committee member K. Srinivasa Rao visited Yeleru reservoir and the lift irrigation scheme at Kateru.

Mr. Lokanadham and Ms.Eswaramma told reporters here on Wednesday that when the city faced a water crisis in 2002-03, it had only Raiwada, Tatipudi and Meghadrigedda schemes.

But now it had the Godavari lift scheme from which 150 cusecs was being pumped. Yeleru reservoir is contributing another 100 cusecs.

In spite of it, proposing to supply water on alternate days was a ploy to commercialise water, they said.

No effort had been made to de-silt reservoirs or store water from the Godavari scheme and Yeleru reservoir ahead of the summer. If de-silted the MGR could store 16 mgd of water, they said.

The GVMC proposed alternate day water supply while it did not take any concrete measures during the past 10 months when there was no rain.

Of the total 75 to 80 mgd water from Yeleru, after providing for industries, 35 mgd could be used for domestic supply, Mr. Lokanadham said. As it was getting a revenue of Rs.120 crores every year from bulk water supply, it should not hesitate to spend Rs.3.6 crores for three months on lifting water from the Godavari scheme.

If the corporation was thinking of the burden of power bill for utilising the lift scheme, industries and the State Government could be asked to foot it, they suggested. But no such effort was being made, they alleged.

Ms. Eswaramma said the GVMC was only thinking of selling water to industries but not about the common man.

The Times of India 08.02.2010

Water crisis sparks cave-in fears up north

Prithvijit Mitra, TNN, 8 February 2010, 05:47am ISTKOLKATA: Underground water reserves on the city's northern fringes are drying up faster than in Kolkata and could lead to a major subsidence along the banks of the Hooghly, predicts a study.

Several pockets in Baranagar, Panihati, Kamarhati, New Barrackpore and Barasat have turned vulnerable due to a steady depletion in water reserves, thanks to unrestricted withdrawal. The drop could be as much as 150 feet since 1997-98 when construction activities started rising in the belt.

Conducted by Saviours and Friends of Environment (Safe) a green NGO the survey reveals that potable water is now available only at a depth of 280 feet in the area. With construction activity being rampant along the belt, this could even trigger a building collapse, the study has warned.

Experts who took part in the survey said the drop in water level was serious enough to cause a major subsidence. "At this rate, a large portion of the ground would collapse within the next 15 years. We already have indications of an impending disaster. Mini collapses at places like Paroma Island and some other spots along the E M Bypass point to that," said geo-scientist Asit Chatterjee.

Cossipore, New Barrackpore, Baranagar and Barasat have been identified as particularly vulnerable. While drinking water is still available at 280 feet at Cossipore, it has dropped well below 300 feet at Barasat and New Barrackpore. At some places, the depth is as much as 360 feet. Dum dum and Salt Lake have also been included in the list of affected areas. The ground surface level in the area has been going down by .5 mm to 1.5 mm per year, the study revealed.

In Kolkata, underground water level has receded by seven to 11 metres between 1958 and 2003, according to a survey by the Central Groundwater Board. The fall has been the steepest in the Park Street area, while some other precarious stretches are Fort William, Rajabazar, Kalighat, Camac Street and Ballygunge.

Another study, conducted by the city-based IISWBM, revealed that the water level in around 30% of the city area has shrunk to the extent of triggering subsidence.

Experts pointed out that the aquifers holding potable water lie three layers beneath the ground. Unrestricted withdrawal is leaving the aquifers empty and hollow. In about 30% of Kolkata, it is believed to have dropped below the clay level, which is alarming. The situation is worse on the northern fringes, the study says. "The upper layers are now left with little support. So, there is always the risk of a collapse. Aquifers can be replenished only through rainwater harvesting which is virtually non-existent," said Sudipto Bhattacharya of Safe.