Heavy rains flood Kanhan river, affect water supply to city

Staff Reporter

Despite heavy rains, Nagpurians in parts of the city are facing water woes. With rains continuing to lash the catchment area, Kanhan river has swollen because of which water treatment plants (WTPs) are still submerged in sand. According to Orange City Water (OCW), water level in Kanhan river is still above 272 metres. Due to flooding, the WTPs are submerged in sand and hence inaccessible.

Though rains as such have not stopped, the severity is down. Water Resources Department (WRD) has conveyed that water level in Kanhan river may recede by Saturday. Hopefully, thereafter, the situation may normalise tomorrow provided there is no rainfall or its just light rains. The incessant rain due to withdrawal of South west Monsoon has also led to sharp inflow in dams and the opening of all the gates of Navegaon-Khairi Dam has further increased the level in Kanhan river. This resulted in submergence of the intake wells of Kanhan Water treatment Plant (WTP).

Timely intervention by the OCW officials led to deployment of swimmers as they inducted trained SCUBA divers that is paying rich dividends as the strainers of the intake well on the left bank is continuously being cleaned enabling lifting of the river water from Jackwell.

However, the right bank's dry wells are not accessible due to excessive river water current that brought along tonnes of sand that is deposited around the intake well leading to seizure of the pumping unit. Once water level recedes, OCW is hopeful of starting pumping of water from Saturday evening as scuba divers would be able to clean the system.

As of now, only partial pumping (60%) is on with three pumps (instead of normal five pumps) leading to cuts in daily quota of drinking water in four zones of Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC), Ashi Nagar, Satranjipura and Lakadganj and Nehru Nagar.