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Sumit Hakhoo
Tribune News Service
Jammu, September 22
With the much-hyped Rs 886-crore Chenab water diversion project still in limbo and the increasing population putting huge pressure on the drinking water sources, Jammu is facing a shortfall of whooping 15 million gallons daily (MGD).
As per the latest data of water requirement in Jammu city, only 50 MGD is being generated from the available resources while the need is 65.10 MGD.
Jammu district is home to 15 lakh people and caters to a huge floating population, mostly pilgrims. The core city area (Jammu city) has a population of 7.5 lakh.
Senior officials of the Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department have expressed inability to meet the water needs of the rising population in Jammu and sought immediate government intervention to tide away the incoming crisis as drought and pollution are leaving the Tawi and underground aquifers overstressed.
A senior official said the Japanese International Cooperation Agency, which had to fund the project, was not ‘satisfied’ as there were environmental issues concerning the scheme. He said the PDP-BJP government and the Union Urban Development Department had adopted a lethargic approach and were not clearing the doubts regarding the scheme.
Interestingly, Asian Development Bank had rejected the plan, first submitted by the National Conference-Congress coalition government in 2008-09, over environmental issues.
Under the project — ‘Augmentation of Water Supply to Jammu city from river Chenab’ — conceived by the Economic Reconstruction Agency in 2007, water was to be lifted from the Chenab near the Ranjan lift station at Akhnoor.
The first phase was to be completed by 2015 but is still on the drawing board. It involved diverting 110 MGD by using gravity water from the Chenab in a two-phase project. On completion of the phase-I, 55 MGD was to be lifted and an equal amount was to be lifted in the second phase.
When asked about the delay in getting funds, Chief Executive Officer, ERA, Rohit Kansal said: “I am busy in a meeting. I will get back to you on the issue.”
Even if the funds are released for the project, it will take several years to complete the project.
“The Centre has to give a guarantee to the funding agency as such huge loans carry several risks. The government needs to give priority to the project or else we could face social unrest in the coming years,” said a senior official of the PHE Department.
At present, the overexploited Tawi and tube wells are the only sources of water for the people of Jammu. The three major water filtration plants on the river — Sitle adds 17.62 MGD to supply system, Tawi lift station adds 1.80 MGD while Boria filtration adds 3 MGD.
Experts have, however, raised concern over the environmental impact of reckless exploitation of underground sources. They say that greater reliance on heavy tube wells and unscientific exploitation is slowly depleting and polluting the groundwater in Jammu, which could jeopardise the future water supply in the city as the government has failed to develop any alternate source.
Experts raise concern
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