TN sweats it out to procure water, while Assam and Bihar struggle with the problem of plenty
The country has been witness to scenes of contrast in the past few days – one from the eastern states and the other, 2,600 km down south, from Chennai.
A train with 50 green wagons, carrying 2.5 million litres of water, rolled into the Tamil Nadu capital on Friday, amid fanfare. The special train was among the desperate measures that the state has taken to tackle an unprecedented water crisis in the city that needs at least 525 million litres daily.
As Chennai rose and expanded eating up its water bodies and sucking groundwater, it was hit by a never-seen-before water shortage. In just six months, one of its reservoirs – Lake Puzhal – turned into an empty pit with a cracked bed.
"Tamil Nadu has received no rain in six months. This has led to water scarcity," reports quoted Water Secretary Harmander Singh.
The city's woes, captured in heart-wrenching pictures and videos showing colourful plastic containers lined for miles in the hope of getting tanker water, are unlikely to end soon. Even if the region receives a good amount of rain, it will take some more time for the water level in reservoirs like Puzhal to rise up to become drawable.
Then there is the problem of plenty in Assam and Bihar.
Torrential downpours have resulted in water flowing above danger marks in several rivers, including the mighty Brahmaputra, and marooning several areas in Assam. Six people have died so far due to floods in the state, while over 9 lakh people spread over 21 of the state's 33 districts have been moved to safer areas. Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros, has been flooded.
Heavy rainfall has also thrown life out of gear in Meghalaya, Sikkim and parts of West Bengal. It's expected to get worse, with the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting heavy showers on Saturday and Sunday.
In Bihar, the water level in Gandak barrage in West Champaran has risen, throwing road traffic and rail services out of gear. In East Champaran district, the administration has Section 144 (curfew) to force people to stay put at home. As per reports, eight people have died in Bihar due to rain-related incidents.
In Uttar Pradesh, torrential rainfall led to the death of 15 people in the past three days. Affected districts are natural calamity are Unnao, Ambedkar Nagar, Prayagraj, Barabanki, Hardoi, Khiri, Gorakhpur, Kanpur Nagar, Pilibhit, Sonabhadra, Chandoli, Firozabad, Mau and Sultanpur.
9 L Rescued So Far
- Rescue teams have so far moved nearly 9 lakh people to safety across Assam
- Of the 33 district in the state, 21 have been affected. The Kaziranga sanctuary is flooded too
- In East Champaran district of Bihar, authorities have imposed Section 144 to force people to stay put at home
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