Water supply affected due to Sirhind Canal closure

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, October 2

City residents are facing a shortage of water due to closure of Sirhind Canal by the Irrigation Department. A majority of areas in the city are getting rationed water supply.

The Water Department has cut short the supply by 50 per cent to the city. Earlier, 10.5 million gallons per day (MGD) water was supplied, but at present, only 5 MGD water is being supplied in the city.

Residents are getting water supply only in the morning shift while no water is being supplied in the evening.

VB Shivangi, DGM of Triveni Company, said, “The water supply to the city has been cut by 50 per cent due to the closure of Sirhind Canal. There will be more cuts in the coming days if the water does not reach the canal by October 5.”

He said earlier, they received information that water in the canal had got polluted, due to which they stopped the water supply in the city for three days, but now, Sirhind Canal was closed due to which water supply had been cut.

He appealed to the people to cooperate and use water judiciously. He also assured that they had a storage water capacity of 10 days.

He claimed that they were already supplying water for four hours in the morning shift, but water was not being supplied in the evening shift.

GS Bahia, XEN, Irrigation, said, “Water in Sirhind canal was stopped as due to excessive rain, some villagers had disposed the rainwater into it, but water has been released and will reached here by tonight.”

However, residents in many areas are complaining that they are not getting any water supply for the past few days, due to which they are facing problems.

If water reaches Sirhind Canal here by tonight, then too, the shortage of water may prevail in some areas of the city for at least two more days as it will take a few days to supply adequate water to all households and other establishments.