Two lakh houses in Agra have no water connection

A survey conducted by Jal Sansthan has found that 50% of households in the city do not have water connections. Besides, 30% water connections are being operated illegally. A report to the effect has been forwarded to the state government for appropriate action. Jal Sansthan officials said efforts will be made to provide these houses with water connections. According to the report, the population of the city in 2011 was 15.85 lakh, which increased to 18.59 lakh in 2017. In 2011, the city had 2.67 lakh households. The number increased by 47,000 to 3.14 lakh in 2017. But the Jal Sansthan is supplying water to only 1.32 lakh households. So far, there are around 1.82 lakh households in the city which do not have a water connection. The report also suggested that 30% water connections in the city are operating illegally. General Manger of Jal Sansthan Sanjeev Ramchandra said, “A report on status of water supply in the city has been forwarded to the state government. We have placed a demand for funds to connect 1.82 lakh households with the city water supply system. Besides, we are taking action against illegal water connections. Since December, around 12,000 such connections have been cut and penalties are being recovered.” The report states that the city is not getting required water supply. The current water requirement of the city is 4,50,000 kiloliters per day (KLD) whereas the water supply department is able to treat only 2,90,000 KLD raw water drawn from river Yamuna. Out of this, 25% water gets wasted due to leaks in pipelines and 15% goes to illegal connections. Parts of the city suffer from shortage of water supply throughout the year. The Gangajal project, which is slated to ease acute water shortage during summer, is proceeding at a slow pace even after five years of delay. The project deadline has been shifted ahead several times.