Shillong city, suburbs to face 3 days of water scarcity

Staff Correspondent

Shillong, March 27: Residents of Shillong city and its suburbs will be reeling under water scarcity for at least another three days, disclosed a well placed official of the Public health Engineering Department (PHED), even as he said that works are a foot to restore 750 mm diameter main pipe of the Greater Shillong Water Supply scheme (GSWSS).

The major breakdown in water supply is due to the road widening project carried out by the Public Works Department (PWD) and the areas to be affected by water shortage are areas under Shillong Municipal Board (SMB), Shillong Cantonment Board (SCB), Mawlai and Nongthymmai.  

With a demand 43.2 million litres per day, more than three fourth of Shillong and its suburbs will have chronic water scarcity in the coming days. This was admitted by the official to The Sentinel on Monday, besides adding that all out efforts are being put into place to restore power supply.

Another source said that the executing agency of the road widening project in between Mawkriah and Laitjem village dumped huge piles of dug earth on the lines of these pipes.

“This technical aberrations that put pressure on these pipes led to the damage,” stated the source while delicately blamed on the PWD for the occurrence that will make the Shillongites yearn for sufficient water in the next three days.

A PHED official refused to acknowledge that there was a lack of co-ordition with the PWD is the cause of the virtual cut-out of water supply to the city and the outskirts. He said, “We had a joint inspection before the execution of the road project.” The other aspect is about the pipes laid have not degenerate, except for its ibility to withstand the weight of the excavated mud.  

With pressure expecting to mount from the general public, the PHED has rushed its own engineering personnel along with the other work force to complete the restoration work of the water pipeline to Shillong city.