The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) was compelled to suspend drinking water supply for half a day on Sunday, after the surface water treatment plant was unable to purify excessively muddy water drawn from the Teesta river.
The Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC) was compelled to suspend drinking water supply for half a day on Sunday, after the surface water treatment plant was unable to purify excessively muddy water drawn from the Teesta river.
Heavy rainfall in the upper catchment areas and flood-like conditions in Mangan district of Sikkim over the past two days caused an abnormal surge in turbidity levels of the Teesta. The river, swollen by runoff, carried huge quantities of silt, mud, and uprooted tree branches downstream, severely affecting water quality.
In response, Siliguri mayor Goutam Deb, deputy mayor Ranjan Sarkar, and senior civic officials convened an urgent meeting with representatives from the public health engineering department, the irrigation department associated with the Teesta Barrage Project, and other concerned agencies. The objective was to chalk out long-term solutions to ensure uninterrupted supply of treated drinking water during such crises.
“We are confident that the initiatives we have undertaken will address these issues effectively, provided the proposed projects are executed within the stipulated time frame,” mayor Deb said after the meeting.
Meanwhile, officials expressed dissatisfaction over the poor maintenance of a well, set up during the inception of the surface water project, which has become largely non-functional due to silt deposits. Currently, another well is operational for supplying raw water for treatment.
As part of its long-term strategy, the SMC, in collaboration with relevant agencies, is pushing forward with two major projects. The first involves setting up a new intake point at Gajoldoba to draw cleaner water from upstream. The second project is the construction of a dedicated pond designed to store river water for nearly 48 hours. This will allow suspended mud and debris to settle at the bottom, enabling the use of clearer surface water for treatment and supply.
Once operational, these projects are expected to significantly strengthen Siliguri’s drinking water infrastructure and minimise disruptions during future natural calamities.
Source & image: https://bit.ly/4iNEoCA
