Residents await end of water woes

Chandigarh: Arun Sharma lives on the second floor of Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) flats in Sector 38-West. He carries buckets of water multiple times from the ground floor to the top floor these days. There is no water in the kitchen or bathroom. He complains of getting no prompt response from municipal corporation (MC) when contacted for tanker service to fill the dried tanks.
The water crisis in Sector 38-West has risen to a crescendo over the past six weeks.In CHB flats, the residents are dependent on the water pressure for filling up their tanks. However, due to the absence of booster system, the tanks installed on the fourth floor have dried up. This has forced the residents staying on higher floors to store water in buckets to be used in lavatories and kitchen during the day.
Residents also complained of their fellow residents misusing water for washing their vehicles early in the morning. As per their claims, no action has been taken by the MC authorities so far against the defaulters.
Responding to the water crisis in the sector, mayor Davesh Moudgil assured the water supply problems will be solved by May 6. He visited the Kajauli and Jandpur pumping stations on Thursday to oversee the situation along with the officials from Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (Gmada) and irrigation department.
Regarding the lack of action against the defaulters, the mayor said, “In the initial days of implementing the challan system, we handed over notices for the first few days so as to avoid creating panic among the public. We will definitely take action against the offenders. I have been raising the issue of implementing the challan system throughout the year.”
IN THE DOCK
Due to the repair work of the canal supplying water to Kajauli, the water level was lower by 1.5 feet today. The power failure on Wednesday added to the problem. It takes time to get back the same water pressure.
Mayor, Davesh Moudgil
The daily up and down:
Overhead tanks are not getting filled up. We complete all our household chores hurriedly by 8.30am. That’s the only way we can manage the shortage.
SK Bassi, a resident
Supply timings have been reduced in the morning. The water pressure during the evening supply is negligible. The situation has worsened in the past six weeks. Residents need to call water tankers to meet their demands sometimes.
Pankaj Gupta, president of Resident Welfare Association, Sector 38-West
Residents on higher floors face difficulties on a daily basis. The duration of water supply in a few areas of the sector has been cut down. The present supply from 6am to 8.30am is highly insufficient.
K S Chaudhary, president of Residents United Front, Sector 38-West
Water pressure is low due to which the tanks installed on the fourth floor never get filled. You don’t want to start your day on that note every day.
Mahesh Sharma, general secretary of Active Residents Welfare Association, Sector 38-West
There has been no water supply to our house in the past three days. Staying on the second floor, we need to go downstairs to fill four buckets.
Gurnam Singh Randhawa, joint secretary of Active Residents Welfare Association, Sector 38-West
There have been frequent disruptions in the water supply due to the apparent repair work undertaken by the MC. We do not have boosters or motors installed. We need to go up and down the staircase with buckets everyday.
Kulbhushan Sharma, general secretary of Resident Welfare Association, Sector 38-West