As mercury climbs, patches of Kolkata go dry

Her case is not an aberration. And this parched area, where people trudge, struggle and perspire for a bucket of drinking water, is not in Rajasthan or Bankura, but a corner of Behala.

But water is a rarity here and gets increasingly scarce as mercury shoots up. The municipal supply has reduced drastically. Supply, conducted in phases, is on for seven to eight hours a day. But the flow is dismal, to say the least.

On an average, there is one municipal tap per 100 people in these areas.

"We have to wait for four to five hours everyday to get water. But after two to three hours, the flow almost stops and the pressure is very low," says Anita Halder, a resident of the area.

To ease the situation, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation had erected deep tube wells. But the exercise proved futile as the water from these wells is unfit for drinking. "We get muddy water from tube wells that cannot be used," said Mira Das of Bairagipara.

"I feel for the people and have made tube wells. The boosting station at Shiriti Park was supposed to be complete by now. But the work has not even started," says councillor Krishna Singh.

The situation bears a striking similarity to the New Government Colony in Bansdroni, Tollygunj. The residents, who can at least afford to buy drinking water, have given up all hope on their elected representatives.

"I have not cast my vote for the last few years. What's the point? There is no use voting for a government that can't guarantee the basic necessities of life," said Manik Sengupta, who buys drinking water. Councillor Anita Kar Mazumder is quick to pass the buck. "The situation is only getting from bad to worse. Over 70 per cent of the area in my ward does not receive drinking water. The main reason is that the pipes are outdated and the water from Garden Reach pumping station does not reach the area. We also need more boosters and reservoirs. I am tired of complaining to the MMIC, water (Member, Mayor in Council), Mridul Mondol, but to no avail.

Mondol said: "I am aware of the situation in these areas and that is why two boosting stations are being built at ward number 124 and one near Shiriti park. It will take about 15 months but will permanently solve the solution," he said.

But for now, the queues remain.

At Regent Colony in Tollygunj under councillor Prahlad Chakraborty, people wait throughout the day for a bucket of drinking water.

"The water we get is unfit for drinking. We have taps in all houses, but they are running dry," says Rati Roy, a resident.

Director General water, B K Maity, blamed the situation on the lack of boosting stations, saying it was true that just Tala and Garden Reach waterworks are not sufficient for the whole city. "Once the water treatment plant at Dhapa is ready in 2012, all water problems will be solved."