Gangtok water crisis enters Day 7, govt says will need another 5 days to fix burst pipeline

By Prakash Adhikari

No immediate respite in sight from the water crisis that Gangtok and adjoining areas have been facing for a week now. Secretary of Public Health and Engineering Department, Bindeswari Prasad said that the department will take another 4 to 5 days to fix the burst pipeline and restore the water supply.

Talking to North East Live, Prasad informed that a pipe of 16 inches was installed yesterday for the supply of water and are planning to install a 14 inch pipe by today evening. He appealed to the people of Gangtok to be patient for about 4-5 days as it will take a bit longer to install the 6 inch pipes.

Continuous rainfall, snowfall leading to landslide in the Rateychu River area is causing a disturbance in the water flow. Prasad informed that an alternative plan is being made where the Government of Sikkim will be submitting a proposal to Government of India to source the water from B2 river, which separates Gangtok and Mangan district by setting up a pump in the area.

Water is being distributed with the help of the forest department, social organisations and by using fire tenders.

On Thursday last week, the 16.00 km stretch of water pipeline burst at 9th mile thereby washing away the main water pipelines leading to severe water shortage in and around Gangtok, a tourist hotspot. Deurali, Tadong, and Ranipul are the other areas which are facing water shortage.