Water supply in Gangtok to resumetoday after 5 days of disruption

SUJAL PRADHAN, EOI, GANGTOK, APRIL 24, 2023: The water supply in Gangtok will be restored by Tuesday, after five days of disruption. The pipeline supplying drinking water from Rateychu was damaged by a cloud burst on April 20. After this, there as a complete disruption in the water supply to Gangtok. Supply pipelines from Rateychuare the only source to meet the demand for water of Gangtok

One pipeline of 14 inches has been restored. It supplied water to Selep on Monday. The laying of another 14-inch pipe laying was almost at the stage of completion on Monday and by the evening water could be supplied, provided the weather at the site permitted. 

“By tomorrow morning probably we will be able to provide water to the public after five days of continuous restoration work,” said Principal Chief Engineer and Secretary Public Health Engineering Department Bindeshwari Prasad. 

Asked why the PHE did not opt for a permanent solution when this was not the first time that such a crisis had occurred, Secretary Prasad said: "We have already submitted our DPR to the Ministry of Urban Development for an alternative water solution from B2 river in north Sikkim and we are waiting for next step.

”It may be mentioned that Gangtok has a demand of 15 to 16 million liters of water daily which goes to20 million liters during the peak tourist season.

While people in Gangtok had a very difficult time after the disruption of the water supply and many people were forced to buy drinking water, authorities also distributed water in various councils to meet the water demand. 

People also travelled to nearby streams to fetch water late in the night and early in the morning. Sikkim is now going through the peak tourist season ad hoteliers in Gangtok had to face difficulties in providing the facility of water to their guests. They had also to spend heavy amounts to get water from alternative sources.