The Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s water treatment plants functioned at a reduced capacity for the third consecutive day on Tuesday because of excess sludge or suspended solids in the Hooghly water.
A drop in the production of potable water means the city is getting less than its usual quota.
Officials of the civic body said water supply would not be normal for at least another couple of days.
Since Sunday, the KMC’s water treatment plants have been facing an “unprecedented” situation where the volume of solids in the Hooghly water is way above the limit the plants can handle to make it fit for drinking.
To cope with the situation, the KMC has increased the frequency of the clean-up of the water filtration equipment, resulting in a cut in the production of potable water.
“The situation is better today compared with Monday’s but it is still not back to normal. It will take at least another couple of days for the situation to normalise,” a KMC official said.
The KMC has five water treatment plants — in Palta, Garden Reach, Watgunge, Jorabagan and Dhapa. Together, they can produce over 480 million gallons of water a day.