Two years after its launch, the Tangnar Lift Water Scheme (TLWS) catering to around 2.5 lakh souls in several Srinagar and Budgam areas has lost its “efficiency” for want of maintenance, sources told Greater Kashmir.
“The non-maintenance of the machinery installed at the plant is affecting plant’s filtration. Besides, the department has not been able to ensure equal distribution of water in areas dependent on the scheme,” they said. “The areas near to the plant receive more water, while those at the tail end get little supply.”
The lift water scheme at Tangnar hills near Athwajan was built under Jawaharlal Nehru National and Urban Mission (JnNURM) which has been rechristened as AMRUT – Atal Bihari Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation. The Jhelum serves as source of water to the filtration plant.
The foundation stone for the project was laid in 2010 and it was belatedly completed in 2017 at an estimated Rs 134 crore cost.
The scheme has been designed until 2030 for commercial as well as domestic purposes, with daily capacity of generating 10 million gallons of potable water.
Catering to an area of around 92 square kilometres, the filtration plant is equipped with latest VT (vertical) pumps to lift water upwards from Jhelum, and also consists of service reservoir (kind of a water tank) with total capacity of 3.3 (MG) including 0.68 MG and 2.65 MG of water for rural and urban areas respectively.
As per official records, around Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore are annually spent on account of electricity charges for running the pumps used for lifting water up from the Jhelum at Tangnar.
However, officials alleged that the “best available technology” is not put to use in the plant due to which areas in Srinagar and Budgam including Athwajan, Bypass areas, Lasjan, Nowgam, Pohru, Bagh-e-Mehtab, Natipora(partly), Chanapora. Kanipora, Sonwar, Pandrethan, Shivpora, Indhiranagar, Sempora, Khunmoh, Zewan do suffer.
As per norms, each person in city is entitled to receive 155 litres of potable water. However, officials said the city areas falling under the scheme are receiving a very less amount of water.
A senior officer of Jal Shakti PHE Department Kashmir, however did not agree that the scheme was not running up to the mark. “There can be unequal distribution. But, it is not inefficient. It is running round the clock,” he said.