With rainfall decreasing, water crisis looms large
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, March 30 2012: With indiscriminate felling down of trees and clearing forest areas, the climatic condition of the state has changed for the worst leading to dramatically decrease in the rainfall received in the state, thus exposing the people to acute water shortage like never before.

According to information obtained from the Meteorological cell located at Imphal Tulihal Airport, the rate of rainfall received by the state at present is quite low from the rate received a couple of years back.

The rate of rainfall has dramatically decreased during recent years.

With decrease in rainfall, the rivers, lakes and ponds have almost dried up and the people began to face acute water shortage.

Earlier, the state used to receive reasonable amount of rainfall during the months of November, December, January and February.

But over the last few years, there is hardly any rainfall during these months.

The average rainfall recorded during the month of February 2001 was 88.1 mm.

But the rainfall rate drastically comes down to 16.1 mm in February 2010 .

Meanwhile, sources in the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) have disclosed that residents of Imphal are likely to face acute shortage of water if it does not rain in the next few days as the water level of Singda Dam, which supplies water to most of the localities in Imphal, is alarmingly low.

Brojen, Executive Engineer, PHED, Maintenance Division-I, said that if monsoon does not favour the state and there is no rainfall over the next 20 days, the Singda Dam would stop supplying water to the people.

He disclosed that the water remaining in Singda dam would be just enough for 15 days' supply.

Similarly, the water level of Imphal and Iril rivers are running low and supply of drinking water to the public is likely to be affected in areas covered by the water supply schemes depending on these two rivers.

He further stated that the PHED is supplying water to the people on a daily basis at the rate of 135 litre per head in urban areas and 40 litres per head in rural areas.

But of late the department is not even able to provide 1/3 of the required amount.

Water is also being supplied to the public after every three days.

Most of the localities in Imphal East and Imphal West districts and some other districts are currently facing acute shortage of water as the rivers and ponds, which are main sources of water for people, drying up due to failure of rain.

Living no other option, people are buying water at exorbitant price in order to meet their daily requirement.

Long queues of people with buckets and other containers could also be seen near public hydrants just to fetch a few buckets of water in most localitie.

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