Dry winter has left international tourist destination, Shimla, high and dry in summers, as the hill city has started getting water supply after four days gap just in the beginning of tourist season.

The daily water supply has, however, been a dream for people here, the civic body’s inability to handle the ‘water crisis’ in summers, hits the tourism industry hard, which has to go for private tankers or rationing of water for tourists.

Shimla starts receiving tourists in May, while June registers the highest arrival (3000-4000 visitors) per day. 24X7, the Shimla Municipal Corporation’s enquiry office keeps ringing with complaints about water woes.

“We pay high price for water, but we have to virtually beg for this basic need. It’s pathetic. We can’t invite any guests here, be it any season,” shared some locals.

The MC is itself unsure of water availability and supply all through the year. Rather, the civic body has been witness to similar problems every year, with none finding any solutions to them.

In summers, the sources go dry, in monsoons, the water pumps at the source go out of order or the silt level goes up. And in winters, the water supply pipes freeze.

Shimla has a population of over 1.70 lakh, with around 50,000 households. The people of Shimla get water supply on alternative days or after two days in routine.

The MC can’t make better arrangements as Shimla water supply suffers from inherent problems of ‘poor vision’. There are few hand pumps in some outer areas of the city, which don’t serve the purpose much. There are no natural water sources in Shimla, which can come to the rescue of people in crisis.

As per officials, the city requires 42-45 million litres of water per day (MLD), but it gets 34-35 MLD on an average. This summer the availability has dropped below 30 MLD for prolonged dry spell in winters.

“Shimla locals are getting water on fourth day in May month. Last year, there were dharnas in March itself. The problem has to be sorted out in long term, for that, we are planning to lift water for Shimla from Satluj with World Bank aid,” Mayor, Kusum Sadret told The Statesman.

Sadret was elected Mayor in the first ever BJP ruled MC in June 2017.
The new government plans to form Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam Limited (SJPNL) to streamline the water supply system for Shimla, which may,
however, take some time to take off.

But availability apart, safe potable water is a big issue in Shimla after the worst outbreak of jaundice in winters in 2015-16. Jaundice had claimed over 25 lives in Shimla, when sewage from a Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP) flowed into the water supply scheme unchecked. The scheme was closed for use on 1 January, 2016 after surge in Jaundice cases.

Locals feel that successive governments have failed to channelize additional water sources in tune with population growth over the decades, which is one major reason for the persistent water shortage in Shimla.

The mismanagement in operations of pumping and distribution of water along with inefficient and unsafe handling of water sources aggravates the crisis even more.