Speak up Delhi: Summer woes of water and power cuts

In the peak summer season, the residents of Noida continue to face electricity and water shortage. The contaminated state of the available water adds to their woes. The entire fiasco of the shortage of electricity and water has led the residents to complain to the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) and the Noida Authority. The authorities claim to have sorted the issues, however, the residents continue to complain.

According to the residents, over the past five to six days, the water supplied is muddy which is unfit for consumption. Also, they said that they have to face the problems of low pressure of water combined with long power cuts of around 12 hours, which makes the scorching heat of June unbearable. Mr Jain, a resident of Sector 36, said, "The problems faced because of the shortage of water are not taken seriously as every other day, the water comes in a polluted state."

The Authority accepts the problem of contaminated water and claims to have sorted it. SC Arora, Project Engineer, Noida Authority told DNA that the water was contaminated due to the unavailability of Ganga supply for 4 days and now that the problem is solved, the supply is completely clean now.

"Low pressure of water is a big problem as it doesn't reach the water tanks of houses that have four or more 4 storeys. Residents, in turn, have to put boost up pumps which increase their electricity bill," said Vimlesh Pradhan, RWA president Sector 108.

Talking about the problem of low pressure, the Authority said that the residents who complain about the low pressure of water are those who build four-storey homes, which is not allowed by the Authority. Also, they continuously upgrade the outer water lines, but the internal water lines of the residents get rusted which in turn block the water.

The residents of Sector 20 face a major problem of improper joint specification of water and sewage lines because of which the water pipe sucks water from sewage lines whenever the pressure is low.

On the other hand, electricity supply in Noida is posing another challenge for the Authorities. The old and damaged transformers pose risks of deadly accidents for the residents. Also, with the temperature touching around 47 degrees, the residents continue to face long power outages and voltage fluctuations.

Colonel Batra of Sector 36 said, "We are fed up with the voltage fluctuations in the area, especially from 9 pm to around 4 am. This results in the damage of the electric appliances. We have complained about the broken and defected transformers but despite repeated complaints, no action has been taken."

The authorities accept the problem and claim to be solving it. Vivek Kumar Agarwal, UPPCL said that they have set a proposal for 112 new transformers to replace the old ones so that the city doesn't face power cuts except during thunderstorms.

Blame Game

• Talking about the problem of low pressure, the Noida Authority said that the residents who complain about the low pressure of water are those who build four-storey homes, which is not allowed by the Authority. Also, they continuously upgrade the outer water lines,  but the internal water lines of the residents get rusted which in turn block the water.

VOICES

The low pressure and contaminated water are the main concerns. Also, the sewage lines which were put around the 1980s are blocked and all our complaints go unanswered by the authorities. Since it is an old sector, the transformers are also outdated and pose a great risk of accidents, especially during thunderstorms.
—Pankhuri Singh, a resident of Sector 55

The main problem of power outages is faced during turbulent weather conditions when the electricity sometimes goes for a period of as long as 12 hours. Recently, the water lines broke during the placement of mobile lines, which the authorities are nor repairing.
—Vimlesh Pardhan, Sector 108

The water issues are not taken seriously as every other day, the water comes in a polluted state, which is not only unfit for consumption but also for other household chores.
—Mr Jain, former RWA president of Sector 36

We are fed up with the voltage fluctuations of the area, especially from 9 pm to around 4 am. This results in the damage of the appliances. We have complained about the broken and defected transformers but despite repeated complaints, no actions are taken.
—Col Batra, a resident of Sector 36

Due to the improper joint specification, the water and sewer lines get connected and the water pipe sucks water from sewage lines whenever the pressure is low. The contractors, in order to save the labour cost, dug the lines at just 2 feet instead of 3 feet and whenever the heavy vehicles cross the roads, the lines face cracks and the water gets mixed.
—Anita Singh, a resident of Sector 20

Every summer we have to deal with an acute shortage of water and hour-long power outages. After returning from office, most of the time, we have to spend in the dark.
—Anshu Tanwar, a resident of Sector 107

EXPERT SPEAK

We accept that the water available was contaminated , but the issues are sorted now. Also, the residents who complain about low pressure of water are those who build four-storey homes, which is not allowed. We continuously upgrade the outer water lines, but internal water lines of the residents get rusted and block the water.
—SC Arora, senior project engineer of Noida Authority

There are usually no power cuts in Uttar Pradesh, but during thunderstorms the supply has to be cut to repair the damaged transformers. We have prepared the proposal to change 112 transformers and have already put up 12 new transformers which we believe, will improve the voltage fluctuation situation.
—Vivek Kumar Agarwal, senior engineer, UPPCL