The Indian Express 07.08.2013
UT likely to approach Punjab, Haryana for city share in water supply
to approach the governments of Punjab and Haryana for a permanent
solution to the problem. At present, augmentation of water supply in
Chandigarh is stalled due to the dispute between the two states.
The issue was raised at a meeting of the co-ordination committee
that was held between the UT Administration and the Municipal
Corporation on Tuesday. It was decided that Punjab Governor and UT
Administrator Shivraj V Patil would be apprised of the situation and the
future course of action decided.
Chandigarh depends primarily on Kajauli Water Works for water
supply. While some amount of water is received through tubewells, there
is no other source of water generation in the city. The MC has proposed
installation of 46 new tubewells for additional water supply. In fact,
concern is already being expressed on the falling water table due to
which tubewells are not likely to function properly.
The project that Chandigarh had prepared for Augmentation of
Water Supply Scheme Phase V and VI of Kajauli was put into cold storage
due to the refusal of the Punjab government to release water. Due to the
dispute between Punjab and Haryana over sharing of water, the share
that can be released to Chandigarh is also uncertain.
Mayor Subhash Chawla says, “The share of Chandigarh in water
supply should be fixed. This would benefit the future generations. The
issue was discussed at length in the meeting. The city should not be
made a party to the dispute between
the two states. The need for the administration to approach a
tribunal to settle the dispute was also discussed. It has been decided
that these issues would be taken up with the administrator to decide on
the future course of action.”
The administration has also asked the Municipal Corporation for a
hike in the water tariff. It was stated that the consumption in the
northern sectors is much higher than that in the rest of the sectors. In
order to check this, it was stated that the tariff for the higher slabs
be increased. A need to curtail the usage of water was highlighted. The
consumption in northern sectors is 1,000 to 2,000 litres per capita per
day while in the other sectors, it is around 250 litres per capita per
day.
It was decided that a seminar of all stakeholders be held in order to
discuss the issue. Apart from experts in the field and officials, the
residents would also be invited.
