Residents of 23 Howrah wards go without water for nearly 40 hours
Times of India | 22 March 2025
12 Howrah: Nearly 40 hours on, around 4 lakh Howrah residents across 23 wards continued to experience severe water shortage with Howrah Municipal Corporation (HMC) water department staff struggling to repair the breaches in the 1,200-mm diameter main supply pipeline. A landslide at the Belgachhia dumping ground on Thursday afternoon had triggered the water crisis across north Howrah, Shibpur, and central Howrah, as it led to the water supply pipeline developing cracks in multiple spots.
HMC Board of Administrators chairman Sujay Chakraborty said 14 wards in north Howrah, 6 in Shibpur, and 3-4 in central Howrah were without water supply. Intense heat and increased demand due to Ramzan worsened the situation.
The affected areas include Pilkhana, Golabari, Salkia, Badaghat, Ghusuri, Bamungachi, and Dobson Road in north Howrah; Dasnagar, Belgachhia, and Balitikuri in Shibpur; and portions of Tikiapara, Panchanantala, Howrah Maidan, and Bangabasi in central Howrah. The congested slums as well as high-rises in north Howrah have been hit the hardest.
Om Prakash Singh, an advocate in ward 14, Howrah Court, said, "Everyone is in distress. Taking a bath or going to the toilet has become a problem." Mohammad Rustam, a businessman from ward 16, said, "It's the month of Ramzan. When water is needed the most, not getting it is creating a crisis."
Water tankers — 18 from KMC, 12 from Uttarpara, 7 from Konnagar, and several from HMC — supplied around 4 lakh litres of water through the day.
But, as Baby Chowdhury, a homemaker from Mohinath Porel Lane pointed out, queueing up to collect water from the tanker and then carrying it to her home on the third floor of a building has been exhausting.
"Engineers and workers are working on a war footing to restore the water supply at the earliest. Efforts are underway to restore water supply to north Howrah by connecting a special water line from Belgachhia pumping station," Chakraborty said after a meeting, which was attended by Howrah District Magistrate P Deepapriya, police commissioner Praveen Tripathi, and engineers from HMC and KMDA.
Around 70 families who live near the Belgachhia dumping yard have been relocated to safer spots following the landslide. Work has begun to protect the 1,100-voltage electric line near the dumping ground as well.