John Wilbert &Vikramaditya
Port Blair, May 02: The Commissioner-cum- Secretary of the Andaman Public Works Department, Mr. Nikhil Kumar, today said that the administration is making efforts to improve the water supply issues in these Islands. He stated that several measures are being taken to tackle the problem of water scarcity.
Addressing journalists at the Secretariat today, Mr. Nikhil Kumar said that daily 6.6 MLD of water is being brought from Rutland with the help of two water tankers. Additionally, ships returning from the southern islands have been directed to bring water to Port Blair, which is expected to add 18 tonnes of water to the supply.
He assured that work for tapping water from two more sources of Rutland will begin soon and once it is done 6.0 MLD of more water will be brought to PongiBalu through pipelines from Rutland.
He said that from tomorrow badges will be used to bring more water from Rutland to PongiBalu and with this nearly 0.6 MLD extra water will be available.
The APWD Commissioner-cum- Secretary added that regular inspection is being carried out to identify wastage of water and leakages in pipelines. He said that 800 leakages in pipelines were identified in the PBMC area out of which nearly 700 were rectified.
Mr. Kumar also appealed to the public to use water judiciously and to prevent wastage. He urged them to provide information about any unknown water sources so that the administration can take appropriate measures.
The Commissioner-cum-Secretary explained that the current crisis of water scarcity is due to weak North and West monsoons last year. The administration is continuously taking measures to mitigate the problem. Tankers are being used to supply water to the areas where there is a scarcity.
Kumar also appealed to the public not to panic regarding the water supply and assured them that the administration is making consistent efforts to ensure a sufficient water supply.
