Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, March 22 (EMN): The executive engineer of PHED, Mokokchung division, Hebo Zhimomi, on Tuesday cautioned that the present water supply might not be enough to meet the demand because of reduction of water sources in the catchment areas.
Zhimomi stated this in his keynote address during the ‘World Water Day’ programme organised by the PHED Mokokchung division at Sangtemla community hall in Mokokchung town. He informed that the reduction of water at the catchment area in the previous decades was attributed to drying up of water at the main source. He, however, stated that climate change is the new factor now and poses a threat to the present scenario affecting water supply to become unreliable and unpredictable.
He also observed that water usage has increased by many fold due to increase in population and modernisation. He added that its effect could be seen both in the urban and rural areas creating a huge gap between demand and supply of water.
“Now the supply and demand of water is increasing year by year but the present water sources may not be enough to meet our demand in the near future,” Zhimomi warned.
In this connection, he opined that the only alternative source is to tap the invisible water (underground water). He lamented that because of modernization, many ground surfaces have been cemented thereby preventing the rain water from seeping into the ground to recharge the groundwater at a normal rate.
In this regard, Zhimomi informed that under the Jal Jeevan Mission, the department is providing deep wells along with water recharge structures for the waste and rain water to recharge the ground water table and provide safe and adequate drinking water to the people.
“It can be extracted through bore wells and ring wells but it should be used judiciously for a sustainable future,” he advised the gathering.
Asola Ozukum, president of Mokokchung Arts and Aesthetics Management (MAAM), advocated that rain water harvesting should be taken up to solve the water problem by applying the method of bored well recharge which is undoubtedly one of the best initiatives.
He also added that the grey water recycling method should also be prioritised to save used and waste water, which could reduce almost 70 percent of domestic water usage.
Alemjungla Longchar, chemist of DWSM PHED Mokokchung division, also spoke on “Ill effect of consuming contaminated water.”