JAIPUR: For the last few days, acute scarcity of drinking water has hit a few far-flanged localities in Jaipur – where pipeline water supply facility of the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED), is unavailable.
Although PHED is supposed to supply water on tankers in these localities, residents had claimed that the supply is inadequate in the households.
“The tanker owners are purportedly not supplying water as instructed by the PHED. This is to create an artificial scarcity of water. If we call the same tanker and ask to supply water privately, they are supplying to earn extra bucks,” alleged Ramesh Meena, a resident of Jagatpura locality.
In Jaipur there are a few areas – known as tail-end areas – where PHED supplies water through tankers. Every year during the peak summer season PHED fixes a fresh budget to cater to the water demand of the residents of these neighbourhoods. Such localities include a few areas of Jhotwara in the north-west side of the city, a few localities in Pratap Nagar and Jagatpura in the south and south-eastern side of the city and Kho Nagoriyan in the city’s eastern fringes.
While a PHED-appointed tanker charges Rs 130 per tanker from the government, private tankers usually charge Rs 350 to Rs 500 from the households. However, in case of acute scarcity, the price may escalate to Rs 900 to even Rs 1,200.
PHED officials however refused to buy the allegations of the locals. They claimed it is very difficult for a tanker not to follow PHED’s instructions and supply water privately at households as all PHED-appointed tankers are fitted with GPS technology and field engineers and senior engineers of the department keep constant track on them.
“Water supply at households may get delayed at households for a few reasons beyond our control. But the allegation of intentionally not supplying water is not true. These are politicized claims,” a senior PHED official claimed.
Tanker owners, however, admitted that there are delays in supplying water to a few households in these localities. This is because in these neighbourhoods the groundwater level has drastically reduced due to over-use.
“Earlier we could have refilled a tanker within 15-20 minutes. Now it is taking more than 45 minutes to refill the water. This is taking a lot of time and we are getting delayed in supplying water to households. The second reason is that we are being asked to supply water to households out of turn as the residents are creating influences,” said Shyam Chand Saini, a water supplier.
Although PHED is supposed to supply water on tankers in these localities, residents had claimed that the supply is inadequate in the households.
“The tanker owners are purportedly not supplying water as instructed by the PHED. This is to create an artificial scarcity of water. If we call the same tanker and ask to supply water privately, they are supplying to earn extra bucks,” alleged Ramesh Meena, a resident of Jagatpura locality.
In Jaipur there are a few areas – known as tail-end areas – where PHED supplies water through tankers. Every year during the peak summer season PHED fixes a fresh budget to cater to the water demand of the residents of these neighbourhoods. Such localities include a few areas of Jhotwara in the north-west side of the city, a few localities in Pratap Nagar and Jagatpura in the south and south-eastern side of the city and Kho Nagoriyan in the city’s eastern fringes.
While a PHED-appointed tanker charges Rs 130 per tanker from the government, private tankers usually charge Rs 350 to Rs 500 from the households. However, in case of acute scarcity, the price may escalate to Rs 900 to even Rs 1,200.
PHED officials however refused to buy the allegations of the locals. They claimed it is very difficult for a tanker not to follow PHED’s instructions and supply water privately at households as all PHED-appointed tankers are fitted with GPS technology and field engineers and senior engineers of the department keep constant track on them.
“Water supply at households may get delayed at households for a few reasons beyond our control. But the allegation of intentionally not supplying water is not true. These are politicized claims,” a senior PHED official claimed.
Tanker owners, however, admitted that there are delays in supplying water to a few households in these localities. This is because in these neighbourhoods the groundwater level has drastically reduced due to over-use.
“Earlier we could have refilled a tanker within 15-20 minutes. Now it is taking more than 45 minutes to refill the water. This is taking a lot of time and we are getting delayed in supplying water to households. The second reason is that we are being asked to supply water to households out of turn as the residents are creating influences,” said Shyam Chand Saini, a water supplier.
