Social distancing goes for a toss amidst water crisis
Date :24-Apr-2020
Residents in queue, jostling to get water from tankers.
Staff Reporter :
BHILAI,
With severe water crisis in several areas under BMC, ward residents can be seen jostling around a water tanker to procure water and violating social distancing guidelines. Whether, it is inability of Bhilai Municipal Corporation (BMC) or city residents still failing to understand the seriousness of COVID-19 and the necessity of maintaining social distancing. From the last couple of days amid lockdown, it is a common sight in various wards under the jurisdiction of Bhilai Municipal Corporation that large number of people in queue waiting for water supply desperately while having buckets and water containers in hand.
Annoyed with water scarcity, several people said that before the arrival of scorching summer, the inadequate supply of potable water in their wards has compelled them to scuffle for procuring potable water from water tankers, hand pumps and other water resources. Sanjay Yadav, a resident of Balaji Nagar, Bhilai said that this is not a one of case either. The shortage of water in slums is an ongoing challenge. “We’ve always had an issue getting water. But since the lockdown, most private water tankers have refused to come and when one does, it runs,” he added.
On Thursday, in BMC wards especially in slum areas, people were seen crowding around a water tanker and violating distancing guidelines. Another resident from Shankar Nagar, Supela put forth his plight, “We have to queue up for at least three hours to collect drinking water due to shortage of water.
The water tanker comes only once in 3-4 days. Getting water is more important than social distancing for daily routine”. However, the officials from BMC authority have accepted that there are problem in many areas and assured that BMC authority has made arrangements to compensate the shortage of water supply and also streamlining water supply in city at the earliest. In addition, the Mayor Devendra Yadav on Thursday conducted a meeting through video conferencing and instructed the BMC officials to undertake measures for ensuring adequate supply of water in every ward and also for streamlining of water supply with immediate effect