MUKESH SHARMA

Kalimpong, April 25th

Once again drinking water scarcity has struck Kalimpong town. The distribution system not met by the PHE department has troubled the locals at the most. At present the price of water has gone high that the people having the money has not been able to purchase it.Due to the scarcity of the water in the town, the concerned department has been distributing drinking water twice a week. Today GJMM kalimpong leader taking up the matter met one of the officials of Neura Which bring water to the reservoir and Supply water to Army.The distribution of water in Kalimpong is done by PHE and Water works which comes under GTA meanwhile Neura is handled by State Government.

The public health engineering (water works) department of the DGHC that distributes drinking water to the town has been forced to regulate the supply as the streams are drying up because of inadequate winter rain and the summer .

Some Kalimpong residents draw water from the natural springs, while most buy water from the markets.

A 1,000 litre of water in Kalimpong costs anything between Rs 300 and 400 depending on the distance of a house from the source like small streams or jhoras.

In the absence of water supply for two days, most residents arranged for drinking water from the natural springs in the neighbourhood.

The others bought it from the market.

Neura and PHE plays a blame game in between them but it is the people who are the suffers.

Neura told  GJM leaders that the full responsibility of supplying water is done by Neura only. He informed that PHE Water source at Relli and Thukchuk is not supplying water from last many years so the burden has fallen totally upon our shoulder.
Kalimpong requires around 7-8 lakh gallons of water every day.But the hailstorm and rain after election has resulted in mudslide in area where the distribution pipe of neura is laid.
People has also raised question as the supply of water was done in every alternate days this month till 14 but on 16 and 17 the election days supply was done regularly, but soon the election was over the supply was done on 20th which created a stir and now the supply is done twice a week only. The leader will now sit with PHE and Water Works Department and will hear their side said Nordhen Lama Morcha leader.