Clean water foundation of prosperity

Lucknow is indeed growing fast and has acquired a prominent place on the political map of India. It is a beautiful and harmonious home for diverse communities, but there are many infrastructure problems, which civic authorities need to address immediately. The most prominent of them being water supply in the city.

Clean and plentiful water is the foundation for prosperous communities, yet right now we are heading towards a water crisis. In most residential localities, water supply is restricted to three hours in the morning and three in the evening. Pipelines, especially of old colonies like Mahanagar and Nirala Nagar area are old and rotten, and many of them pass parallel to sewer lines or drains. Dirty water seeps in and runs with the water supply, posing immense health risk, and continues to threaten both the quality of life and public health in these areas.

Despite numerous com- plaints to authorities, nothing much is done about the problem, as the department is short-staffed and does not have powers or the requisite infrastructure. The menace is growing every year to unimaginable proportions.

My suggestion is that the civic authorities should adopt sensible standards for efficient purification of water and immediately change all pipelines, which are more than 20 years old. The water department should have modern facilities and more technical staff to redress the problems of citizens. They should conduct regular checks, especially before summer and monsoon.

The underground water level is going down rapidly; hence, the government should implement methods of rainwater harvesting as well as methods of reusing water. Besides, stringent laws and actions should be applied against those polluting the water.

The witer is senior public relations officer, SGPGI