KIMS reels under acute water scarcity

HUBLI: If you have to undergo surgery at KIMS, first check out whether sufficient water is available at the hospital. Shortage of water is so acute at the Karnataka Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) hospital here that major surgeries are planned only after confirming that enough water is available.KIMS sources said the requirement isaround 1.60 crore litres of water per month to cater to the needs of patientsand other needs. But the hospital gets only 30-32 lakh litres of water permonth.KIMS has more than 20 wards and staff quarters. Due toshortage of water, KIMS authorities are finding it difficult to meet the growingneed and to keep all wards clean.Some patients in the general wardssaid taps at the hospital have gone dry and that they have to make their ownarrangements for drinking water. The toilets stink and are dirty as they are notcleaned daily due to water scarcity, the patients said. A doctor whowished not to be named said: "If we are to conduct any major surgery, we willfirst have to think of the availability of water.''Dr B S Madakatti,Director, KIMS, said: "There is huge shortage of water in the hospital and weare finding it difficult to meet the growing needs of the patients and visitors.We get 30-32 lakh litres per month from the water board while drawing around 30lakh litres of water from our own borewells. But this is not enough. Despitethis, we are providing sufficient water for emergency services andsurgeries."If there is no water at the Operation Theatre, we divertwater from other wards. Though we have not postponed surgeries due to shortageof water so far, we need sufficient water to run the hospital.''Hesaid they had written to the water board. "We have been assured that a newpipeline would be laid and that water would be supplied through tankers at theearliest,'' he added.