More than five lakh Jharia residents, who are already compelled to live under the choking air pollution, are now grappling with the acute drinking water crisis. All this, as water supply in several localities is available once in a week while in the majority of other localities water supply is available on alternate days.

Worst is the situation of several localities like Baniahir, Fatehpur Lane, Rajmata Colony, Mishra Para, Hetlibandh, Dumariyatand, etc. where water is being supplied after four-five days by civic body Jharkhand Mineral Development Authority (JMADA).

Expressing disgust over the situation, Ankush Kumar (15), a resident of Baniahir locality who is also a Class IX Student of DAV Centenary School, Baniahir, said, “I have to devote two extra hours for bringing water from the adjoining pond in the morning to complete the daily chores of my house like bathing, cloth washing and dishwashing as the water supply is negligible in our area. We have no option other than to depend on water bodies like a pond.” He also added that his online class sessions are sometimes affected due to the extra load on him of bringing water.

Echoing sentiments, Mala Devi (45), a housemaker of Baniahir, wife of a daily wage earner, said, “After performing the household work we have to put in extra effort to bring water from a pond situated around 800 meters away from our home. We have never faced such a situation in our life like we are now facing for the last two years,” and added that the situation has worsened recently.

Children waiting for their turn to collect water from a leakage in a pipe of Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) at 7 no Baniahir in Jharia, Dhanbad on Monday.

Similar is the situation in Hetli Bandh locality. Dilip Keshri, a puja paraphernalia shop owner of the locality said, “We used to get water twice during a day till six months ago but now the situation has deteriorated to extent that we are getting partial water supply after every two-three days which is too insufficient to fulfil our requirement and many people in our locality are compelled to purchase water from the vendors.”

Dhanbad MP, PN Singh on December 27 wrote a letter to the managing director of JMADA, Dilip Kumar, drawing his attention towards the problems faced by the residents, where water supply is being made available once in two-three days although the residents of the same locality were getting water twice in a day.

Singh also demanded immediate steps to fix the crisis and a probe to resolve the irregular water supply problem.

Over 100 Jharia residents led by the former councillor of ward Number 37 of Jharia, Anup Sao, burnt the effigy of civic body Jharkhand Mineral Area Development Authority (JMADA) and served an ultimatum of four days to JMADA managing director Dilip Kumar, at the prominent square of the town, Bata More Chowk on the same day.

When contacted, executive engineer of JMADA, Indresh Shukla said, “Water supply is partially affected during the winter as hyacinth floating on the River Damodar enters the intake well pump and sometimes broken pieces of the hyacinth reaches the water treatment plant affecting the treatment process.”