PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
In an effort to enhance services, Uttarakhand Jal Sansthan (UJS) has recently submitted a proposal for purchase of 33 mini tankers to the relevant authorities. The proposal aims to provide reliable water supply solutions in areas inaccessible to standard tankers.
The secretary (Appraisal) of UJS, Maneesh Semwal said that during the summer season, the demand for water increases and often spring sources dry up. To meet the water needs of residents in specific areas, tankers are dispatched for water assistance. However, it has been observed that in some locations, particularly in mountainous regions where lanes are narrow, standard tankers cannot reach due to a lack of proper roads or other obstacles.
Further, Uttarakhand is prone to disasters, where water supply schemes get damaged as cloudbursts and heavy rainfall. Consequently, it can lead to the contamination of clean water, especially in hilly areas. When restoration of water supply schemes takes time, large water tankers become impossible to deploy due to inadequate road access, he said.
He further added that considering these challenges, the UJS has proposed to the authorities for 33 truck-mounted mini tankers with a capacity of 1.5 thousand litres to provide water in water-scarce regions, especially during emergencies and others. The budget for this proposal is estimated at Rs 495 crore, focusing primarily on hilly areas. It is expected that the proposal will be approved soon.
Semwal further emphasised that a few years ago, a directive was issued stating that government vehicles older than 15 years, whose registration certificates (RCs) had expired, could no longer operate. Consequently, many of UJS tankers have been taken off the road. Although they have received some new tankers to replace those that expired, there remains a gap in available resources and demand for additional tankers has been submitted to the concerned authorities.
