Summer heat is all set to intensify water woes as supply could be severely affected due to falling water level in two prominent reservoirs—Kanke and Dhurwa dams— whereas the only hope of Ranchiites’ for adequate water—a water pipeline project for the capital—is still two years away from beginning operations. While the water table of Kanke dam has come down by around 1.5-feet (2120.7-feet measured from sea level) in February compared to last year in the same period, water level of Dhurwa dam has declined sharply. The reservoir at Dhurwa has gone down by nearly one-third compared to last year. Nonetheless, officials are convinced that supply will not be affected in the summer. A major requirement of water in the capital city is fulfilled from the three dams—Kanke, Dhurwa and Getalsud.
“Water level has come down by 10 feet and now the level stands at around 20 feet. But I don’t think that the situation is alarming as of now and we can maintain supply in summer also,” said Executive Engineer, KK Verma. The Kanke reservoir supplies around four million gallons of water every day whereas around nine million gallons of water is supplied to a larger portion of the city from Dhurwa dam. The precarious situation is attributed to erratic rainfall in last monsoon which was delayed and almost reservoirs were depleted considerably due to abnormal behaviour of monsoon.
Surprising barely 40-km from the capital, the Getalsud dam is brimming with 9-feet above the level compared to last year. Notwithstanding the face, water from the largest reservoir and the only hope for Ranchi’s water woes visualised by policy makers is still years away from completion. “The project has been awarded to the l&T by last government and it is under progress,” said Minister Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Chandraprakash Chaudhary.
Sources say that the mammoth water supply project is still two years away to start supplying water of Getalsud dam to Ranchi and fringe areas. The progress of the Ranchi water supply scheme is being executed keeping in mind the capital’s population post-2038 and envisages laying 300km pipelines, a water treatment plant at Getalsud dam, an intake well, six towers and three sumps Kanke, lalgutua and Rampur.
The water pipeline project has been the victim of negligence and more in news for controversies than the objectives behind the multi-crore project. The project has seen cost overrun due to delay. The deadline for the project initially was September 2012.