Bhopal(Madhya Pradesh): With the water level of the two major water sources of the city- Kolar dam and Upper Lake- going down, the drinking water crisis is worsening with each passing day in the city. Despite the instructions of the chief minister and other public representatives, the Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) authorities have failed to address the issue of water shortage in the city.
Water is supplied on alternate days in many parts of the city, however, there are certain VVIP pockets where water supply is being done for around 3-4 hours every day. More than 30 per cent of the population of the city is getting water on alternate days even after commissioning of new Kolar pipelines.
BMC commissioner KVS Choudary, when contacted, claimed that proper water supply is being done regularly in the city and the civic body is trying to ensure regular supply in all areas which are currently facing shortage.
There is enough water in the water bodies of the city and there will be no shortage till the rains, assured the commissioner. The commissioner further claimed that commissioning of the new Kolar pipeline has improved the supply pressure, however, the ground reality is quite different.
Hardik, a resident of Kolar slum said that the supply is being done only for 45 minutes to 1 hour that too once in two days. Another resident from Ratibad, Malti said that water being supplied most of the times is not clean and leave aside drinking it cannot be used for bathing or cleaning purposes.
“Flushing has been already done in the new pipeline for about 40 hours but for some more days the problem of dirty water will be faced by the public”, he added.
Drinking water sources: A total of 95.6 Minimal Liquid Discharge (MLD) of water is supplied to the people in 85 wards of 19 zones of Bhopal city. Out of this 36 MLD water is supplied from Kolar dam and Narmada project each, while 22 MLD is drawn from Upper Lake and 1.6 MLD from Kerwa dam, as per official figures.
Lucky VVIP pockets
Ironically, as most parts of the city continue to face water shortage, areas like Char Imli and 74 Bungalow, where most of the VVIP’s including ministers and bureaucrats reside, are getting water for almost 3-4 hours every day.
