Water crisis acute in Gurgaon, Huda blames power cuts in Basai plant

Despite the work of shifting pipelines at Hero Honda chowk getting done by Saturday evening, the water supply to many Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) sectors and private colonies along Golf Course road, Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Paras Road was affected.

Residents complained of shortage, erratic supply and low pressure which have forced them to buy water from private tankers. The problem has become acute after thunderstorms snapped power lines in many parts of the city on Sunday evening.

Also Read: Water shortage hits residents in both Old and New Gurgaon

HUDA officials said they have adequate water at the treatment plants but inadequate voltage and frequent tripping are causing the crisis. They have now sought the personal intervention of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) officials to resolve the problem.

“We have written a number of times to the DHBVN that water supply is suffering due to power cuts and low voltage at Chandu Budhera and Basai since May 11 ,”Bhup Singh, executive engineer, Huda, said.

The problem at Huda’s end is compounded as the boosters for Sector 16 and 51 are situated almost 15 metres higher than the water treatment plants with the result that, in case the power goes off even for two minutes, the supply stops for almost one to one-and-half hours. “If the power trips four to five times a day, then the whole supply system fails because it takes a lot of time for the pumping to become normal. This particularly affects DLF phase 1, phase 2, and areas at the tail end of the supply line,” Singh said.

Also Read: Erratic power supply to Basai plant leads to water shortage in DLF areas

“There is a shortage in the HUDA supply, and though we have borewells, they are enough to meet the shortfall. The erratic power supply has further added to our woes,” TN Kaul, president of Ardee City RWA in Sector 52, said.

At Malibu Towne on Sohna Road, the situation is far worse as the supply from the urban authority has come down to one third its normal quantity. “We have complained to the maintenance agency but they claim the Huda supply is curtailed,” said Sumit Ahuja, general secretary of the RWA.

A similar situation prevails along Sohna road, SPR, and Golf Course Road.

The residents also say that when they approach the authorities with complaints, there are met with a stock reply: “Power shortage has hit the Basai and Chandu Budhera water plants”.

In Mayfield Garden, the residents are hoping that the supply remains continuous so that water can be pumped to individual homes. “We are receiving less water from Huda and I don’t understand why the power system can’t be upgraded at the water treatment plant to ensure the city does not suffer,” said Dharamvir Yadav, president, Sheetal RWA.

The situation is little better in Sector 45 where people said apart from scheduled shortage on Saturday, things were normal. “Our sector witnessed water shortage only on Saturday, the supply was restored on Sunday,” said Surinder Kaushik, general secretay, Sector 45 RWA.