People buying bottled water in Khoda Colony. Awakening
Jagran correspondent, Sahibabad. The population of Khoda Colony, established about five decades ago, is increasing day by day, but the people here are still facing the problem of water. Due to excessive use the ground water level is continuously falling. The situation is so bad that submersible pumps are failing even at a depth of one thousand feet. Here every family has to spend money for water every day.
The current population of Khoda Colony is approximately 12 lakhs. The biggest problem for such a large population is water. Some people have installed submersible pumps in their homes, but most people are not even able to get them installed. People say that at some places the ground water level is 700 feet and at some places it has gone below more than a thousand feet. It costs four to five lakh rupees to install a submersible pump.
Therefore, many people cannot even afford this expense. Meanwhile, some people have started illegal water business here. Illegal tankers supply water to the mafia colony. They charge around Rs 300 to Rs 500 to fill a 500 liter tank. This water lasts only for one day. Apart from this, if the tank has to be filled on the second floor or above, then it costs Rs 100 to Rs 200 more. These illegal tanker mafias are running a big business by taking advantage of helpless people.
Rs 2000 charge for filling the tank with submersible pump
Not only the illegal tanker mafia is active here, but some people are selling water by installing submersible pumps, due to which the ground water resources are depleting. They charge Rs 2000 every month from every family to fill the water tank with a submersible pump. They are also earning lakhs of rupees every month.
"Buying water not only spoils the budget but also affects our entire life. We have to cut down on household expenses and children's education."- Raju Kumar, local resident.
Due to lack of water, the situation in Khoda is worsening day by day. Ground water level is falling. If the supply of Ganga water does not start soon, the situation will worsen.- Sunil Kumar, local resident.
Here every family fulfills its daily needs by purchasing water. This completely spoils the household budget. Children's education is also affected.- Amarendra Kumar, local resident.
It also costs four to five lakh rupees to install a submersible pump for water. We don't have that much budget. It is better to buy water to survive.- Manoj Kumar, local resident.