Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, March 20
As per the guidelines of the Government of India, Mokokchung town needs at least 35,00,000 liters per day. However, during the dry seasons, water supply for Mokokchung town’s Angetyongpang water source provides only 50,000 liters per day.
The only alternative source from which the town gets water occasionally is the Lithsami source. The source provides 80,000 liters per day, according to officials of the Public Health Engineering of the district during sidelines of a program marking the ongoing National Rural Drinking Water and Sanitation Awareness Week.
The officials said that water collected from every source that the department could manage hardly totals 2-3 lakhs liters a day; there is hardly any water for a month to supply to more than 2, 300 private consumers through 505 meter houses.
When queried about the Techipami water source, the Executive Engineer of Mokokchung division PHED, Yanger Pongen said that the water from Techipami was also a main water supply for the town. However, due to a recent expansion of road mainly in Longsa village areas, many pipelines were either broken or damaged either by machinery or mud cut from earth during the expansion works.
Techipami water supply project for Mokokchung town was started in 2000. Regular service was started in 2005. The pipeline is 40 kilometers long. The water source contributes more than 50 percent of water supply for Mokokchung town.
The official also disclosed that the damaged pipelines came to be known to the department only after extensive damaged was done. “The situation we were now facing is because for lack of coordination between the concern departments,” the official said.Pongen also said that repairing works on the damaged pipelines started in January this year. Many of the affected portions have been repaired or replaced, he said.
When asked why the progress of the work was slow, he said, “Due the financial position of the state, the department suffered in funding. There are still some pockets were the water is lacking and could not be detected because the pipes are deeply buried by cutting mud of the road. And that is the reason why water is not reaching the down,’ he said.
On Wednesday this week the division’s executive engineer and SDO, Masachuba, inspected the spot (2 kilometers before reaching Longsa village) where the leakages were detected. They directed the officials to complete the repairing work at the earliest possible time.
The official said it is difficult to find sufficient water sources for the town as the town was as Mokokchung town was located at a high attitude. The only option is to go for rainwater harvesting and using tube wells, the officials said.
In this connection, the division’s executive engineer said that the department has sent proposal to the state government to construct at least two to three tube-wells for every ward of the town. If the proposal is approved by the government, he said, it will create some hope for the people.
