GUWAHATI, Sept 23 - Ahead of the festive season, the residents of Kamakhya, Pandu and Maligaon are facing erratic water supply due to two dysfunctional water pumps in the area. The pumps, repaired three months back, have gone out of order again, much to the inconvenience of the residents of the localities.
�Water supply has been irregular for the past several weeks and now, the condition has deteriorated further. Immediate steps should be taken to restore normal water supply before Durga Puja starts,� Tapas Das, a local of Maligaon said.
Similarly, water supply atop the Nilachal Hills in the vicinity of the Kamakhya temple has also been affected. There was no water supply at all for three consecutive days, confirmed Sanjib Sarma, a member of the Kamakhya temple management committee. However, now the residents are getting water every alternate day.
At a time when the city is awaiting its ambitious water supply project � that promises 24X7 running water � to take off, the existing machinery getting older is in dire need of replacement, which the authorities are avoiding for fear of incurring extra expenditure as the machinery won�t be required after a couple of months.
�The Kamakhya water supply project was set up in 1965 and the water pumps and supply line have become outdated. We have initiated steps for purchasing two new pumps for the area that will cost nearly Rs 14 lakh,� GMC sources said, adding that since the Jal Board would take over the water supply work in the entire city after completion of the mega water supply project in Guwahati, a large-scale purchase and replacement of machinery is not being planned by the Corporation.
However, to address the issue, repair work has been taken up in Kamakhya area and normal water supply would be restored within the next two days, the GMC sources assured.
