States » NorthPosted at: Oct 25 2026 1:48PM

By Arvind Kashyap
Solan, Oct 25 (UNI) Reeling under potable water shortage for the past couple of months, Solan town and scores of adjoining villages are facing a severe drinking water crisis as daily supply has plummeted to nearly half of the town's daily requirement.
Against a daily demand of 90 to 95 lakh litres, the Jal Shakti Department is currently managing to supply a mere 50 to 52 lakh litres, leaving taps dry for up to a week in several localities and triggering widespread public outrage.
The crisis stems primarily from crippled pumping operations at the Giri Drinking Water Scheme, compounded by suboptimal lifting from the Ashwani River water supply scheme.
Residents have been left to bear the brunt of a glaring lack of coordination between the Jal Shakti department and the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board Limited (HPSEBL).
According to official sources, the Giri scheme’s operations have been severely hampered by inadequate voltage and erratic power supply. At the scheme's raw water pumping station, only two of the three regular pumps are currently operational. Similarly, at the main distribution stage responsible for lifting water to Solan, only three out of four pumps are running.
Notably, the trouble started four days ago when a burnt power cable forced a 12-to-16-hour shutdown of the Giri scheme. While temporary repairs were carried out, inadequate power supply continues to prevent the pumps from operating at full capacity.
Meanwhile, the two key departments appear to be passing the buck on each other. Sources in the electricity department maintained that a new transformer is required to stabilize the load, which will only be installed once the Jal Shakti Vibhag deposits the requisite funds. Until this bureaucratic hurdle is cleared, smooth water lifting remains uncertain.
On the ground, the situation has grown desperate. Residents across multiple wards complain of receiving water only once every six to seven days, making it difficult to meet basic household needs.
Public resentment is increasingly being directed not only at the Jal Shakti Vibhag and Electricity Board for their administrative apathy, but also at local MLA and Health Minister Dr. Dhani Ram Shandil. Locals alleged that the administration fails to take concrete, long-term corrective measures whenever a water crisis hits the town.
The ongoing bureaucratic tug-of-war has also snowballed into a political flashpoint, denting the image of the incumbent Congress government.
Taking a sharp dig at the state leadership, senior BJP leader Rajesh Kashyap termed the government a "complete failure" in resolving Solan’s perennial water woes.
"The Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Jal Shakti portfolio, has failed to accord due priority to this grave crisis," Kashyap alleged.
Echoing public frustration over the lack of inter-departmental synergy, he warned of a massive public agitation if regular water supply is not restored immediately.
As the blame game between the Jal Shakti and Electricity departments continues, residents of Solan are left waiting to see when the authorities will bridge their divide and restore normalcy to the parched town.
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