Dharamshala (HP), Sep 3 (PTI) Heavy landslides triggered by incessant rain in the Naddi area damaged key gravity pipelines supplying drinking water to Dharamshala city in Kangra district, disrupting water supply to several parts of the town, officials said on Thursday.
Sumit Katoch, Executive Engineer at the Jal Shakti Department, Dharamshala, said that around 4.40 million litres per day (MLD) of water is supplied to the city from the Naddi water treatment plant.
He said continuous rainfall and unstable ground conditions led to landslides, damaging the pipelines at several points. A department team had been deployed at the affected sites where repair work was being carried out on a priority basis, he added.
Officials were monitoring the situation and had assured residents that efforts were underway to restore normal supply at the earliest. However, persistent rain and the risk of further landslides could delay restoration, Katoch said.
To minimise the impact, the department is supplying water to affected areas through alternative sources, including the Dhar water treatment plant and the Dari Bypass.
The officials appealed to residents to use water judiciously and avoid wastage until the supply system is fully restored.
The disruption has also highlighted the vulnerability of Dharamshala’s largely gravity-fed water network during the monsoon. The city’s drinking water is primarily sourced from streams and rivers flowing from the Dhauladhar ranges, including the Bhated and Gajj rivers.
Officials said the Gajj river continues to have sufficient water to sustain supply, but pipelines passing through landslide-prone zones are repeatedly damaged during the monsoon, causing interruptions.
Dharamshala requires around 4.40 MLD water, with a substantial portion of its supply dependent on gravity-based schemes. The city’s steep and uneven terrain makes groundwater extraction difficult, increasing its dependence on surface water and pipeline networks. PTI COR BPL MNK MNK
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