The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) has decided to suspend the supply of drinking water in its area for two days in order to connect pipelines between the old and the new ‘alternative permanent’ well of the existing water treatment plant at Fulbari.
It is worth noting that chief minister Mamata Banerjee recently inaugurated this Rs 9.6 crore project virtually during her visit to Darjeeling.
Siliguri mayor Goutam Deb informed reporters that the SMC will suspend the drinking water supply on 22 and 23 November due to unavoidable circumstances.
He added that the public health engineering (PHE) department will connect two pipelines linking the old system with the new well to ensure a steady supply of drinking water for the SMC area and other important establishments.
“It will take at least two days to complete the work. The connection of pipelines requires dry conditions in the well. As a result, we have to suspend the water supply on 22 and 23 November. From 24 November, the water supply will be normalized,” Mr. Deb said. He also urged Siliguri residents to store water on 21 November for use on 22 November.
To provide alternative sources of drinking water, the SMC will deploy 25 water tanks, each with a capacity of 2,000 liters. The PHE Department will provide 35 water tanks with a capacity of 2,000 liters each, along with an additional five tanks with a capacity of 5,000 liters each.
Furthermore, the SMC will distribute 2,00,000 drinking water pouches for Siliguri residents.