GURGAON: This is a city that, in the past several years, has suffered a water crisis each summer. With most of the natural water bodies here dissipated, and the ground water reserves running below critical levels, what Gurgaon urgently needs is a serious rethink on the water management front. This is exactly what the team of experts from Singapore, currently in Gurgaon at the invitation of the civic authorities, intends to do.

According to municipal officials in Gurgaon, the team has started surveying the water supply network of Gurgaon, taking into account all the available water sources in the region and the projected demand for water here.

“The team has arrived in Gurgaon. They are experts in water management, and have done some good work in this area in Singapore. They are working on a comprehensive report on water management in Gurgaon,” said Praveen Kumar, commissioner, MCG.

Water availability in Gurgaon has remained scarce over the past years, even as the daily demand for water continues to soar both in the urban and rural pockets of this district.

To address this shortage, the state government has even carved out a new source just over 70 kilometres away from the city, which is called the NCR Water Channel. But as of yet, the new water channel runs at only 10% of its total capacity., supplying not more than 30 million gallons to Gurgaon daily. Officials of the irrigation department say that channel is running under capacity because Gurgaon’s supply infrastructure lags behind schedule.

“We have more than enough water ready to be supplied to the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. But the civic agencies haven’t demanded any yet, because their infrastructural upgrades are not yet done,” said a senior official of the irrigation department.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/gurgaon/Singapore-experts-in-town-to-help-rethink-water-supply/articleshow/29920583.cms