Reputed educational institutes in grip of water crisis in Bhopal

BHOPAL: The severe water crisis in the city due to low water level in Upper Lake is also taking its toll on reputed educational institutions, with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) and School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) in Bhauri being prime examples.
According to officials of Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), water supply in Bhauri, which gets water from Upper Lake only, has been reduced.A team from BMC will inspect the pumping station near Bairagarh on Monday. About 2.6 MDG has to be pumped to the area daily, but owing to reduced water level in the Upper Lake, BMC is barely managing to supply about one MGD of water. Bhauri water supply scheme was completed last year at a cost of Rs 17.5 crore.
When contacted, an ISSER official confirmed the shortage of water supply. Less than half of daily requirement is being met through BMC water supply, he said. Sources also said that EME centre’s connection to the Upper Lake water supply line from Behta village has nearly been stopped since 15 days. The centre has been relying on water from underground sources to meet its needs.
BMC has already hinted at reduced water supply for PSUs like BHEL and others until monsoon arrives.
Meanwhile, water supply disruptions continued in some parts of the state capital even on Sunday. Irregular water supply led to major inconvenience as heat wave like conditions prevail. BMC water supply wing confirmed that the newly-installed overhead water tank is not serving all the connected areas. The area is not completely dependent on water supply from Upper Lake. On an average, the overhead tank is filled up to 5 meters. However, currently about three meters of water is being filled in the tank. Some of the areas have Narmada water connection, but that too is irregular, said a BMC ward official.
None of the senior BMC officials are willing to come on record regarding the worsening water supply situation. As water crisis continues to escalate, a meeting of district administration and BMC officials, including mayor Alok Sharma, is likely to take place on Monday. The meeting will decide on water rationing, including alternate day water supply, for many areas of the state capital.