The residents of E Block in Shukhobrishti are again grappling with a water supply problem, with some towers lacking water for six to seven hours.
With the mercury shooting northward since the last week along with high humidity, residents have been complaining about inadequate supply. But officials blame the infrastructure of the housing society in Action Area III for being unable to draw more water during the supply hours.
The newest block of the housing complex is located somewhat apart from the rest of the other eight older blocks, having come up on the other side of an unfinished six-lane road going towards Eco Space passing through the complex.
The block has 2,250 flats, each tower being five storeyed. The flats are all occupied, with most being tenants.
“The crisis has worsened over a fortnight now. The water flow in the tap is not what it used to be. Some flats did not have water for six to eight hours. On May 17, we, the owners, had a discussion. All of us are sending emails individually to the chief executive officer of New Town Kolkata Development Authority seeking a solution,” said Shahin Ali Mondal, who got possession of his apartment in March 2024. “Fifteen of us have already mailed,” he added on Sunday.
Sudipta Chakraborty is another person who has sent such a mail. “Imagine having to face a water crisis at the peak of summer. We have my elderly mother and two and half year old daughter in the house. We have knocked on every door,” said the IT finance professional, who works at Eco Space nearby.
His wife Banashri Nag works in Sector V. “My office car comes at 5am for a pick-up. Often the tap runs dry when I get ready at 4am. Often the main complex maintenance office is either unresponsive or cannot help at that hour. I am left with no option but to use the filtered water that we buy for drinking in the bathroom,” she said.
The family is so fed up with continuing water issues that Sudipta had started looking for a new apartment after the contamination crisis in February when there was an outbreak of diarrhoea in the block with over 300 residents getting infected.
Water being stored in the underground reservoir of E Block. The Shukhobrishti management is seeking a second such inlet for another reservoir they have
The housing complex’s maintenance personnel said their hands were tied. “Look at how low the water level is. We have to retain a minimal quantity for fire emergencies. So it is not possible to switch the pump on every time a resident calls up. But some of them refuse to listen to reason,” said a staff member, opening the lid of the underground water reservoir for The Telegraph Salt Lake to check.
Residents are on the edge after the February troubles, they said. “The other night a young tenant called up the main security office at midnight, demanding water. The plumber was called. He filled up a bucket and physically carried it up the stairs to his top floor flat,” one of the staff members said.
The water supply, they point out, has not dipped but demand has peaked with the rise in humidity. “There are four-five people staying in each 1BHK flat. Imagine the volume of water needed to fulfil their demand in this heat!” he added.
The facility management has applied to the NKDA for another supply point but has not heard back yet.
According to sources in the public health engineering wing, which monitors the supply, Shukhobrishti E Block had been advised to increase the diameter of their supply line from four inches to six inches when the department investigated the contamination issue earlier in the year. “But they have decided to seek a second supply point instead. It is upto the NKDA now to take a decision on the matter,” the source said.
The department too seeks an early resolution to the problem as the pump for Action Area III is having to be run for extra hours only because of Shukhobrishti. Water is now supplied from 6am to 10am, 12noon to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm, according to the housing complex maintenance staffers.
“They cannot pull in enough water because of their narrow pipeline. Running the pump for longer hours is causing us extra expenses,” an official said.
According to NKDA sources, a team of engineers is likely to visit the complex.