Acute drinking water scarcity rages on in different parts of Haldwani city and its adjacent areas with the officials concerned remaining laggard. Suffering is compounded with the mercury surging up. About half a dozen electricity-driven tube-wells put in place to buttress the existing drinking water distribution network are out of order in many parts of Haldwani city for many days for want of necessary power safety equipments like stabilisers.
The irony of things is that a contingency plan was formulated to put things in place to spare the people suffering on this count. However, things look sluggish with just tendering process having begun now to purchase stabilisers to protect the tube-wells from voltage fluctuations. With voltage remaining unstable and no instrument there in place to keep things stable, tube-wells located in Haldwani's Dahariya, Tezpur Negi and several other areas are nnon-functional, resulting in aggravation of the drinking water crisis.
Officials concerned of the Jal Sansthan, Haldwani, said, it might take at least four to five days to repair the tubewells. The common refrain is that once a tube-well gets faulty it takes at least a fortnight to have things repaired. Had the State Government or other officials taken preparatory measures in advance, we would have been spared the protracted suffering, rued residents of Tezpur Negi, Daharaiya and adjacent areas.
What has spawned hope is the development of the state finance minister and MlA from Haldwani Assembly constituency Indira Hridayesh meeting senior BJP leader and MlA from Kaladhungi Assembly constituency, Banshidhar Bhagat on the same issue to improve things a few days ago. The people of both these constituencies which share border are bearing the brunt of the drinking water distribution system remaining in a mess. “Hope, things would better in the coming days, thanks to the political initiative,” said a resident of the city.
The situation in the rural areas is even worse with the mercury rising up. These areas get drinking water principally from natural sources. What is interesting is that local Gaula river being the main source of drinking water, there is as such no scarcity in Haldwani. Even the volume of availability is more than that of the demand.