City hamlet's saga for water!

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, May 24: GMDA has not been able to tell all city residents – ‘take this potable water, it’s good for what ails you’ — as yet! This essentially serves as an index to gauge how effective the government is.

Here is a case study right in the backyard of Koi-Dhora, the official residence of former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. Uday gar is a hamlet comprising around 250 families now, and the number of families keeps rising.  Under the GMDA the hamlet had a mini water supply project atop Uday gar Hill. The consumers were getting water, though iron contamition was reported. However, the project conked, leaving the consumers high and dry. The steepness of the hill does not allow private water suppliers’ vans to go up. The project has two workers, and a committee– Koi-Dhora Unyan Samiti – to run it. The committee moved the government many time for restoration of water supply only to return bemused.

When they realized that their pleas to the government would not come to fruition, the samiti called a meeting with all the families living in the hamlet and decided to raise funds on their own. The samiti raised funds at the rate of Rs 1,000 per family on the condition of refunding the amount as and when the situation would be stable. With the funds so collected they installed another project with a motor on Koi-Dhora LP School premises. The samiti had to opt to erect the project at a lower level as pumping water atop the hill needs more pressure, leading to break down of machines. The residents got water from this project, but not for a long time. This project too conked, and made it crystal clear among the consumers that they would have to give up their claim of refunding of the Rs 1,000 they had contributed to the setting up of the project.           

Water is life! Without water one cannot speak of living even a day. Necessity made the residents of the hamlet to go for another source of potable water. The Samiti held another meeting of the residents. They decided to raise funds yet again, not at the rate of Rs 2,000. There was no clause for refund of the amount. To erect the project atop the hill is indeed an uphill task for the residents with their meagre collection. They decided to erect the project at a height which neither too high nor too low.  The motor they use for the purpose is pumping water, but that is not enough. Yet they have to make do with the quantity of water they get. However, it has expenses for wear and tear that has to be met by the Samiti with funds being raised from the consumers.

Of late, another problem has cropped up. More and more people are getting settled in the hamlet and get their mes enrolled in the Samiti for water supply. Now the Samiti feels that the water it pulls from the ground runs too short of meeting the demand of the consumers. The samiti also cannot increase the water pulling capacity of the project as it does not have the required means.

Finding no way out, the Samiti has its eyes set on the new government at Dispur to bail the residents of the hamlet out from the crisis.