Paradip, May 7: Precious drops of water are going down the drains at Paradip even as the growing industrial hub reels from one of the worst drinking water scarcity in recent memory.

The pipelines have developed cracks in strategic places and a huge volume of water is gushing out of them. As the sheer wastage of water continues unabated, domestic water tapes are going dry.

A month ago, there was a breakdown of daily pipe water supply by the public health engineering wing of Paradip port trust.

Though some order has been restored, the supply is erratic and falls short of the requirement of residents here. Whatever is being supplied is muddy and unfit for human consumption.

Major cracks on the pipelines have created further problems. The ruptured pipelines have led to the formation of artificial streams that otherwise would have reached the doorsteps in water-scarce areas in the port town.

“It exposes the lack of preparedness on part of water supply authorities. Before the onset of summer, pipelines were repaired hurriedly. The quality of repair and maintenance was not good. As a result, the mended portions of the pipelines failed to withstand the force of the water flow and ruptured,” said Pitambar Tarei, a trade unionist.

Authorities maintained that work to plug the pipeline cracks was being done on a war-footing. “The port town is experiencing a water shortage. We are trying our best to tackle the situation,” said Niranjan Patra, executive engineer, port public health engineering department (environment and civil).

There has been a drastic fall in the water level both at the Taladanda canal and the three water-carrying reservoirs in the port town. Against the daily requirement of 3 million gallon litres, hardly 1 million gallon litres are being generated everyday. This has triggered the crisis, he said.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Rs 90 crore modernisation and renovation programme of Taladanda canal, the lifeline of bustling industrial hub, has triggered the prevailing drinking water scarcity.

As a fallout of the crisis, traders selling drinking water pouches and mineral water bottles are doing brisk business. Local residents have started to depend on packaged water because the water available from the pipeline is unfit for drinking.

“The drinking water supply to the Paradip port town is not satisfactory. Wastage of water from the cracked pipelines in such a crisis situation is unwarranted. The PHED should ensure that such things do not recur. Presently, all the residential colonies and the slum settlements are by and large hit by water scarcity,” said Surath Mallick, executive officer, Paradip Municipality.

“We hardly get water for an hour in the morning. Tapes remain dry for the rest of the day,” said Sujata Mahakud, a homemaker from Nuabazar residential colony.