In the wake of water scarcity, residents of RG Baruah Road and Christian Basti area rely on private water operators; the problem is set to deepen with new apartment complexes being built in the area
The residents of RG Baruah Road, commonly known as Zoo Road, have been witnessing a perennial water crisis for the past several months which is set to become worse in the next few months with the advent of the winter season.
Several apartment complexes at the Zoo Road stretch have been dependent on water tankers for their everyday water needs for the past several years now. Apartments such as the posh Spanish Garden have to rely on private water operators to fulfil their daily water requirement.
“The apartment management has outsourced the water delivery to a private operator who supplies water to our apartment. Every day several water tankers are put in service throughout the day for the water use of the entire apartment complex,” Nandita Saikia, a resident of the apartment informed G Plus.
Residents informed that water from the tankers is transferred into underground water reservoirs built inside the apartment complex and is thereafter pumped up to overhead tanks so that running water becomes available to each household.
Another dweller of Spanish Garden, which has 188 apartments, said that the complex does not use water from borewells neither does it have a Guwahati Municipal Corporation supply water connection.
He added that all the apartment dwellers are charged water bills with their monthly maintenance. “We pay Rs 8,000 every month for maintenance which includes the water bill,” said the resident.
According to locals, other housing complexes, too, charge around Rs 5,000 per month towards maintenance. However, without the water bill the maintenance cost ranges anywhere between Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000.
Further, more buildings and apartment complexes are being constructed in the area, raising concern about the sustainability of these apartments and the residents’ potable water needs.
Additionally, sources informed that the Zoo Road water supply scheme under Guwahati Jal Board remains almost dysfunctional due to negligence on the part of the Jal Board. Out of the total 22,000 water supply connections in Guwahati, 9,000 connections are being provided by Zoo Road water supply scheme. Further, the Zoo Road water supply scheme had been integrated with Guwahati Jal Board in 2015.
Builders call for govt support
On the other hand, builders are also facing the heat due to water crisis in and around the Zoo Road.
“The main cause for concern is the depleting underground water level which is going down day by day.
Metropolitan cities such as Kolkata, Delhi and Mumbai, also face water crisis but there the governments are actively involved in providing relief to the residents,” Debajit Borah, a Guwahati-based builder informed G Plus.
He added that the Assam government, too, should follow their footsteps and provide water facility to areas with low levels of ground water.
“The city needs to be properly planned and developed by the authorities so that the increasing number of housing complexes can be sustained in a proper manner. The government should think of building some infrastructure for water related projects,” said Borah.
Another city-based builder mentioned that an average individual requires 150 litres of water for consumption on a daily basis.
“The Christian Basti area near Zoo Road has always had some water scarcity issues. But now, for the past two-three years, we have seen that the water problem has increased significantly posing trouble to residents and real estate developers alike,” he informed.
He added if the state government could take some measures to use water from the Brahmaputra River it would bring in great respite for the people.
Adjoining Christian Basti too affected by water scarcity
In the same vein, Christian Basti - the area adjoining Zoo Road - suffers from similar water scarcity issues. The residents of Christian Basti complained of heavy water bills as a result of depleting ground water.
Every day the tankers reach the apartments and refill the tanks. Meters are installed which record the consumption by each individual household and they’re required to pay for the amount of water used. This burdens the residents with enormous amount of water bills. The amount per litre differs from apartment to apartment, ranging from Re 0.15 per litre to Rs 2.5 per litre. Residents of the area say that the cost of water is a lot to bear.
Recounting the scenario from a few decades ago, Prakash Sikaria, a long-time resident of Sikaria Compound in Christian Basti, informed G Plus, “Until the 1980s, the area had immense supply of ground water, with shallow boring of 100-250 feet installed. However, the unplanned development of the area resulted in the creation of a concrete jungle. The mushrooming of apartments and showrooms left no open space for water to seep in and the groundwater to be recharged. This led to the exhaustion of the groundwater reserves.”
He added that now the apartments have deep boring installed that reach around 1,500 feet below ground level. Even then there is almost negligible access to groundwater, clearly indicating the depleting levels of water.
Another resident of Christian Basti said that locals living higher on the hills still use water from the natural waterfalls to meet their daily water needs.