Kalimpong town is grappling with acute drinking water shortage as water levels of natural streams from where water is drawn to the hill town have receded due to the prolonged dry winter.

Civic authorities have decided to seek financial assistance from the state urban development and municipal affairs department to tackle the looming crisis.

Located some 70km from Siliguri, the Kalimpong civic area currently receives water supply through the state PHE department only thrice a week. The supply lasts for no more than 30 minutes at a stretch.

Rabi Pradhan, head of the board of administrators of the municipality, said that the town’s water supply is mainly sourced from the Relly and Thutchuk, two streams, from where water is pumped to the reservoir in Deolo, and subsequently distributed in all the 23 municipal wards.

“Relly and Thukchuk are the primary sources supplying water to the civic areas through PHE pipelines. Water levels have receded in both. Another source, Newra, is largely earmarked for the Indian army,” Pradhan said.

He expressed concern over the absence of rainfall throughout winter.

“Although winter is nearing its end, there has been no rainfall in the hills so far. We fear this prolonged dry spell may aggravate the water crisis much earlier than usual, even before peak summer. Usually, water shortage intensifies by April-end,” he said.

Civic authorities want the state provide funds so that water tankers can be engaged to bring water from other natural sources to the town. Sources in the civic body said a formal letter seeking support would be sent to the state UDMA minister soon.

A long-term solution is underway. On December 8 last year, the municipality laid the foundation stone for a ₹196.97-crore drinking water project, sanctioned under the Amrut 2.0 scheme of the Centre.

Under the project, water will be pumped from Bhali Khola, a Teesta tributary, and distributed across municipal wards.

Established in 1945, the Kalimpong municipality then had a population of around 4,000. Today, the population in the civic area is around 60,000 and the water requirement stands at around seven million litres per day (MLD).

“We could supply around two MLD. The demand rises during tourist seasons, exacerbating the shortage,” said a civic body source.

Weather experts said the lack of winter rain and snowfall was due to the absence of western disturbances in the region.

“Rain and snowfall in the hills largely depend on western disturbances. This year, their absence throughout winter resulted in no significant rainfall or snowfall. There was some snow in the higher reaches of Sikkim,” said an expert.

Sewerage survey

The civic body in Kalimpong is doing a survey for a comprehensive sewerage system in the town. Last November, Anit Thapa, the chief executive of Gorkhaland Territorial Administration, had requested the state to take up the project. Pradhan said the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) instructed them to do a survey, prepare a detailed project report within two months and send it to the state UDMA department.