Water crisis in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, July 2: Owing to inadequate rains in the region since last year, the residents of English Bazaar are facing an acute crisis of drinking water. Officials of English Bazaar Municipality have admitted the present problem and blamed the low underground water-level for the crisis. Officials of the water supply department of the English Bazaar civic board are facing difficulties to provide adequate drinking water due to low ground-water level and are also facing difficulties to lift water through pumps. A senior official of the water department, said: “The water layer in English Bazaar town was 41 ft in April and May. After receiving some rains, the layer position now is 36 ft. But storage of water in underground-level is not adequate.” Water officials also said that heavy pump sets for deep tube wells cannot maintain heavy flow for lifting under ground waters. Not only that, the water-layer has going down at least 15 ft from the present position, after introduction of deep tube wells. Though the depth of deep tube wells is nearly 300 to 320 ft but the rate of water lifting flow is not satisfactory, they informed. The civic body officials fear that if the drought like situation continues, residents of English Bazaar as well as Malda will face acute drinking water crisis in future. A total of 39 deep tube wells are functioning for drinking water supply in English Bazaar town. There is no drinking water project based on surface water in Malda town. Though there was a proposal for conducting a survey for executing a drinking water project based on the Mahananda and the Kalindri Rivers but it didn’t materialise as the river Mahananda in English Bazaar town gradually dried up leaving no chance to set up a drinking water treatment plant for English Bazaar residents.

Pic: collected from site