States » NorthPosted at: Oct 22 2026 9:16PM


Water crisis in Solan as power cable failure halts supply for 16 hours

Arvind Kashyap
Solan, Oct 22 (UNI) Solan town’s drinking water supply was once again thrown into disarray after burning of an electrical cable at the Giri Lift Water Supply Scheme that disrupted water lifting operations for nearly 16 hours, leaving thousands of residents struggling to meet their daily water needs.
The incident also caused substantial damage to the Jal Shakti Department’s infrastructure, with two pumps and two motors reportedly rendered inoperative after the cable supplying electricity to the scheme caught fire.
The disruption severely affected water availability across the city. Against the usual daily supply of around 90 lakh gallons, the Jal Shakti Department could provide only about 34 lakh gallons on Thursday, forcing several localities to go without their scheduled water supply.
With regular distribution disrupted, residents in affected areas were left with little option but to arrange water tankers to meet their essential needs.
The incident has raised serious questions over the maintenance of critical electrical infrastructure, coordination between the Jal Shakti Department and the Electricity Board, and the alleged failure to act on an earlier request for replacement of the cable.
Reliable ources revealed that Jal Shakti Department had written to officials of the Rajgarh Electricity Department some time ago, highlighting the urgent need to replace the cable used to operate motors at the Giri Lift Water Supply Scheme in Gaura.
However, the replacement was allegedly not carried out in time.
The cable subsequently caught fire, damaging the pumping equipment and disrupting the supply of drinking water to Solan.
This is not the first time an electricity-related failure has disrupted Solan’s drinking water supply. Last year, a transformer failure reportedly led to another prolonged interruption, leaving the city without normal water supplies for several hours.
The recurrence of such incidents has raised concerns over the reliability of the electricity supply to this vital water infrastructure. It has also brought into focus whether adequate preventive maintenance, timely replacement of ageing or vulnerable equipment, and effective coordination between the two departments are being ensured.
The damage caused by the latest incident is expected to impose an additional financial burden on the Jal Shakti Department. The two pumps and two motors were reportedly damaged beyond normal operation, with the cost of repairs or replacement estimated to run into lakhs of rupees.
The department must now contend not only with the financial implications but also with the challenge of restoring the pumping system and ensuring uninterrupted supplies to affected consumers.
Solan Executive Engineer of the Jal Shakti Department said that pumping at the Gaura-based Giri Lift Water Supply Scheme had to be suspended following a fault in the electrical system. Electricity Board personnel began restoring the power supply after around noon on Thursday.
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Tags: #Water crisis in Solan as power cable failure halts supply for 16 hours
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