Sindh Jalawardhan project hit a wall, left the city dehydrated

BHOPAL: Shivpuri is not new to the water crisis problem. Last June, residents called for a Jal Kranti (Water Revolution) hunger protest. People went on chain hunger strike, taking turns to fast and protest hoping for government intervention. The town was assured that the water problem will be resolved soon as the Sindh Jalawardhan Yojana was completed.But after nearly one year, the situation has gone from bad to worse as monsoons failed last year.
The average rainfall for the district is 816 mm but in 2015 the rainfall was recorded at 600 mm only. Five tehsils in the district including Shivpuri, Kolaras, Kohri, Behrar and Karera have been declared drought affected.
“There is a severe water crisis and we realise it’s not even May. If in April we are striving for every drop of water, think of what comes in May and June. I foresee a gruesome condition ahead,” said Munnalal Kushwah, chairman of the Shivpuri Municipal Council and the man who is responsible for water supply. “Once the Sindh Jawawardhan project is completed there will be no water crisis in Shivpuri, I give you my word. In six months, the water scenario can change provided work starts on the project.”
In 2007, the Sindh Jalawardhan Yojana proposed to lay a 30 km pipeline to fetch water from the Madikheda dam over the Sindh river to Shivpuri town. Work commenced under a Gujarat based company. But after laying 9 km of pipeline, the project hit a wall as 470 trees of the Madhav National Park needed to be uprooted to lay the rest of the pipeline.
“It beats me why the BJP state government did not go to court to seek permission to lay the rest of the pipeline,” said Munnalal Kushwah, a Congress party local leader. “I was elected chairman of the municipal council in January 2015 and took the Jalawardhan Yojana issue to Supreme Court to seek permission for completion of the project. After six hearings by an empowered committee, the permission to complete the project has been granted on April 12. We are hoping that the state government will now do the needful and restart work on the remaining 66% of the project.”
In the meantime, sub-engineers at the Municipal Council are looking at satellite mappings for spots with normal water tables so that bore-wells can be dug for water supply to tide over the next two hot summer months. “To avoid a Latur-like situation, we have deployed eight big truck water carriers. There are 80 to 100 average water tankers that are carrying water to the residential areas. If more tankers are required, they will be deployed,” Kushwah added.