Locals, Visitors Suffer As Shimla Runs Out Of Water During Peak Tourist Season

Shimla, a major tourist spot is facing a tough time as it continues to remain without water for more than a week now. Many small hotels and tour operators are experiencing cancellations of their already booked rooms as the acute water crisis has entered the second week.

PTI

Tourism Industry Stake Holders Association president Mohinder Seth said the Shimla Municipal Corporation failed to provide regular water supply. He added that hoteliers of Shimla were left with no other option, but to pay absorbent charges for procuring water through tankers.

¡°The high cost of water directly hits viability of the hotel industry. Hoteliers are compelled to keep the rooms vacant because all hotels in Shimla are not accessible to take water through tankers,¡± he said.

Locals, meanwhile have been forced to buy water from private suppliers by standing in long lines to fill up a couple of buckets.

PTI

The city's waters supply has been hit badly, courtesy of a dry winter.

Shimla's five major water sources ¡ª Gumma, Giri, Ashwini Khad, Churat and Seog has an overall capacity of 65 million litres per day(MLD). Though the demand is approximately 45 MLD, the city never gets more than 35 MLD as average throughout the year, which has been aggravated this year due to the poor winter.

On Monday Himachal Pradesh High Court took suo motu notice of water crisis in Shimla Town and asked whether any new construction should be allowed to come up within the municipal limits or not.

PTI

A division bench of Acting Chief Justice Sanjay Karol and Justice Ajay Mohan Goel said, ¡°The problem of water scarcity within Shimla town, as highlighted, takes us to yet another issue and that being as to whether any new construction should be allowed to come up within the municipal limits of Shimla town at all or not."

PTI

Chief minister Jai Ram Thakur who took stock of the situation said, to ensure the equal distribution of water throughout town, entire Shimla has been divided into three zones where water would be supplied after every three days.