|
Gurgaon is well known as "The Millennium City" located strategically at a distance of only about 30 km from the centre of Delhi. The Skyline of this rapidly growing and developing city with increasing number of high rise apartments, Shopping complexes and Corporate offices is in sharp contrast to the basic civic infrastructure and facility. Under the shadow of its gleaming high-rises, residents are fighting a constant battle with the problem of Water supply. Groundwater is the key source of water, and the construction sector is the main guzzler. This unsustainable development has led to some obvious consequences with wells running dry and the city turning into a concrete desert. This problem is compounding each summer with increasing population and declining water table. Private water tanks ferrying water to residences is a common sight and has in fact become a lucrative business. Well-to-do residents are burning a hole in their pockets to procure water for their daily needs while the poor suffer in silence. Rainwater harvesting has not been used in a way it should be to replenish and reclaim water. Constant Power supply cuts further add to the issue. There are two agencies supplying water in Gurgaon, depending on the administrative divisions: the Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) is responsible for the old city area (municipal limits), while the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) takes care of the new city. Raw water sourcing and treatment is the overall responsibility of HUDA. While the HUDA sectors receive water directly from the Authority, the PHED gets bulk water transfers from HUDA for supply in the old city limits. . HUDA has been criticized for lack of adequate infrastructure for resolving the problem of water supply and for not showing transparency in communicating where actually the problem lies. Supply does not match either demand estimation: the gap between official demand and supply is about 42 per cent. Obviously, there are either issue with the way the water is distributed or with the actual water availability. The Civic authorities should surely be held to task. However, left to it alone we can't expect things to change suddenly. As residents, we also need to do our bit to use water judiciously as well as adopt measures to conserve it.Some of the suggestions and recommendations for improving water supply and encouraging water conservation have been listed below: • Rainwater harvesting units should be set up throughout Gurgaon. • Using the sewer water effectively is also another solution. All this sewer water should be sent through primary and secondary treatment by all agencies, and used for construction and plantation purposes. • HUDA should transparently intimate the public through a daily bulletin as to how much water it is treating on a daily basis and how it is distributing the water in various sectors and zones. • Setting up dedicated Canal water pipelines in all colonies of Gurgaon. • The city should be divided into zones each zone should have an equal supply of water. Projects that distribute sewage treatment and rainwater harvesting projects should be allocated to these zones. The author has written on various topics related to social causes like Water Supply Problem in Gurgaon in this article author raises the issue related to Waterlogging problem in Gurgaon. For more information Visit: - www.gurgaonrenewalmission.in .
Related Articles -
Water Supply Problem in Gurgaon, Waterlogging problem in Gurgaon,
| 
