Shimla, Aug 14 (UNI) Water supply to Shimla town and nearly 130 other areas across Himachal Pradesh has been disrupted due to extremely heavy rain, flash floods, and a sudden rise in water turbidity.
According to Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) spokesperson Sahil Sharma, the water level at Chaba is currently at the booster stage, while heavy flooding at the Gumma pumping stations has reached houses near the Nauti Khad
A heavy water flow has been reported in upstream catchment area of Shaali. The Bharari storage tank was cleaned yesterday.
Sharma warned that most areas will face water shortages due to negligible water intake.
“We don’t maintain the storage of water. Water supply is made simultaneously to maintain pressure of water in all distribution tanks. Therefore, the town will not get water supply today” he said urging residents to use tap water sparingly as it will run dry until restoration.
He said that water supply is already hit by the recent rains and turbidity remains extremely high, leaving no scope for immediate restoration. Shimla town received only 38 MLD of water until 10 pm yesterday.
Water supply has been affected by inceasent rainfall in nearly 130 areas across Himachal mostly in Mandi and Sirmaur district. Authorities estimate losses of Rs 600–700 crore to various water supply schemes due to heavy rain and cloudbursts.
According to data received from State Emergency Response Centre,as of last evening, 72 water supply schemes were defunct in Mandi, 41 in Sirmour , eight in Chamba district, five in Lahaul Spiti, two each in Hamirpur and Shimla. Officials warn that with excessive rain, the number of defunct schemes are likely to increase from 700 to 800 across the state.
