Kathmandu water supply dips with daily power cuts

Water supply dips with daily power cuts

Monday, 05 February 2007

Drinking water availability in Valley has nearly halved compared to wet season with daily power cuts considerably limiting extraction of groundwater by Nepal Water Supply Corporation (NWSC). NWSC was depending on its 50 deep tube wells as sources of half the volume of water supplied in Valley till daily power cuts were enforced on January 26.

Adding insult to injury is the oil scarcity, courtesy Terai unrest, which has docked 10 of the 15 water supply tankers of NWSC, thereby stalling emergency water supply to thirsty localities, according to NWSC General Manager Dharma Kumar Bajimaya.

"Groundwater extraction has gone down by 15 to 20 percent due to daily power cuts," said Bajimaya. "Surface sources of drinking water are also fast depleting due to dry winter," he added. When run at full capacity, the 50 deep tube wells can generate 50 million liters daily (MLD). The surface sources, which can contribute 100 MLD in wet season, are currently supplying only 50 MLD.

At the moment, NWSC is supplying about 80 MLD in the Valley where demand is 210 MLD. In wet season, NWSC supplies 150 MLD with abundant water available from over-ground sources and the deep tube wells running at full capacity. Before three hours of daily power cuts were enforced, NWSC was supplying 100 MLD, including from surface sources and deeptube wellss.

"We had hoped to depend on our deetube wellsls at full capacity to ward off water crisis till April. However, daily power cuts have upset supply," Bajimaya said.

The Valley usually faces acute water scarcity in April, May and June every year. However, the crisis this time has come two months earlier thanks to power cuts. Low pressure in water pipelines makes supply difficult, thus rendering water tankers indispensable. In situations like this, NWSC's 15 water tankers, combined, used to make as many as 100 trips a day in the past.

"Unfortunately, only five of our 15 tankers are rolling at the moment as fuel is in short supply," Bajimaya added.

Since Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is upping power cut duration to six hours daily from mid-February, seven to eight hours daily from mid-March and six hours daily from mid-April this year, water availability is expected to dwindle accordingly. By April 2008, as much as 12 hours of daily power cuts will be in place, according to NEA forecast. Both power supply and water supply situation will continue to worsen at least till 2009 when NEA hopes to complete building two high-voltage transmission corridors with India and import bulk power.

Given the dependence of water supply on power, NWSC sent a letter to NEA Sunday formally requesting the latter to ensure round-the-clock power supply to its deep tube wells. "We discussed the problem with NEA chief on Friday and sent an official request today," said Bajimaya.

NEA is calling a meeting Monday to discuss measures to deal with the problem. "As long as it is technically feasible, we will try our best to ensure round-the-clock supply to the deeptube wellss," said NEA chief Arjun Kumar Karki. On Monday, NEA will study the localities where NWSC's deep tube wells are located and gauge whether round-the-clock supply is possible without significant impact on power supply status elsewhere.

NWSC currently caters to 120,000 domestic connections in the Valley. Tens of thousands of Kathmanduites depend on public standposts, water spouts, and water supplied by NWSC's tankers to quench their thirst. The average daily water requirement of an individual is 100 liters.

BIKASH SANGRAULA

Sorce: The Kathmandu Post, February 5, 2007