‘Where are Nagaland’s civil organisations?’
EMN
Dimapur, August 16
The Congress party in Nagaland has expressed displeasure that water pipes meant for water supply have ‘disappeared’ from the stores of the Public Health Engineering Department while water supply has been disrupted. The anomalies are coming out in the open even as the monsoon also continues to reveal more water-related woes for Nagaland, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee (NPCC) stated in a press release received here today.
“The current monsoon season in the state has once again brought to the forefront the disruption of water supply especially to Dimapur, Mokokchung and Zunheboto districts,” the media cell of the NPCC said in the press release.
“The repeated damage of water supply pipeline every year to these three districts during monsoon period and the tedious restoration process which takes months and years has become the hallmark of the NPF led DAN government,” the Congress party said.
The NPCC also expressed displeasure that the civil organizations of Nagaland have yet to rear their heads to the problem. “The NPCC is also appalled by the silence of the tribal hohos, civil societies and consumers over this major issue of water supply disruption which has become routine yearly event,” the Congress said.
Offering an instance, the opposition party said that the latest damage to the water supply pipeline for Dimapur occurred on July 16. “It took six months for the PHED department to restore the same water supply pipeline in 2011 and going by the repeated lame excuses offered by the department on the pretext of rainy season, the consumers of Dimapur will have to bear without water supply till the year end,” the Congress said.
The restoration of the Dimapur water supply pipeline in 2011, the Congress said, was “done on temporary arrangement by erecting thin bamboo stands/racks to hold the water pipes.” This ingenuous system did not last long, however. Thanks to the lackadaisical attitude of the department to prevent further damage, the Congress said, the nature of the department’s purpose ‘stands exposed.’
The NPCC explained with the following statistics: “Whatever reasons the department may offer for delay in restoring the water supply to these three affected districts, the actual reason lays with the scarcity of spare pipes to replace the damaged pipes. The water supply pipeline to Zunheboto town alone has accounted for around 79 high pressure pipes damaged with no spare pipes available for restoration works. Moreover, at Zunheboto, 600 GI (3”) pipes for connection and maintenance from the perennial source of water at Ngozubo and Lizuto village’s tapping area to reservoir went missing during the NPF govt regime. The restoration of water supply to Zunheboto town will never materialise if the present apathy of the govt continues.”
The NPCC also wondered where the water pipes had disappeared. “It is an established norm that all spare pipes are kept in departmental stores to meet emergency requirements, but over the past few years these pipes have simply vanished without trace.”
The Congress party has appealed to the people of Dimapur, Mokokchung and Zunheboto to not remain ‘silent spectators’ but hold the government answerable for the delay in restoration of water supply pipeline.
