Water crisis hits hills as well
Power-PHED at loggerheads over taxes
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 05 2012:
The taxes collected by Public Health and Engineering Department (PHED) in a year from the public for supplying water has been reportedly taken over entirely by Power department for not paying power tariff by the former.
According to a reliable source Power Department has deducted an amount of Rs 11.24 crores for financial year 2011-12 from the taxes collected by PHED.
The amount of taxes that PHED could collect from people for supplying water during 2011-12 was only about Rs 15 crores.
But after the Power Department deducted Rs 11.24 crores, nothing substantial was left with PHED.
Moreover, after procuring necessary chemical and other disinfectants for making the water fit for consumption from the left over amount, the account of PHED is now emptied.
An Engineer of PHED, on condition of anonymity, disclosed that Rs 11.24 crores have been deducted for consumption of power from the account of PHED by the Power Department, despite the fact that Power Department could provide only 18 hours of power supply during 2011-12 and now Power department is supplying only 4 hours of electricity on daily basis.
The manner in which the Power Department has deducted taxes from the source of PHED is unjustifiable, the Engineer asserted.
The Engineer further informed that even if there is plenty of water available, PHED has not been able to ensure sufficient water supply to the public as the Power Department fails to supply adequate power.
There should be close relationship and co-ordination between the two departments.
Because when the Power Department fails to ensure adequate power electricity, then PHED would not be able to supply adequate water, thus compounding the difficulties of the people, the Engineer noted.
Meanwhile, like their valley brethren, people in the hill districts of Manipur have started experiencing the problem of water scarcity.
Reports reaching Hueiyen Lanpao from various hill district authorities disclosed that major rivers in the hills like Barak, Irang and Iril have started drying up of late.
Until and unless the monsoons arrive in time, there is going to be no means for providing sufficient water to the people in the hill districts as well.
Under such conditions, the state government should come out with some concrete measures to ameliorate the difficulties of the people both in the hills and the valley.
On the other hand, with drying up of Imphal and Iril rivers in the plains, all the water tankers which used to come for filling at Porompat Water Supply Scheme have been blocked since March 31 last.
The water supply scheme is also likely to stop functioning in due course of time if the rains fail to come in time, sources revealed.
In fact, with Porompat Water Supply closed to them, all the private water tankers have started filling water using pumps from the lean Imphal River.