February 06 (TSP Bangla) – Kalimpong town is facing an acute drinking water shortage as water levels in the natural streams that supply the hill municipality have fallen sharply following a prolonged dry winter.
The civic authorities have decided to seek financial assistance from the state urban development and municipal affairs department to manage the emerging crisis. Located around 70km from Siliguri, the Kalimpong municipal area currently receives piped water from the state Public Health Engineering (PHE) department only three times a week. Each supply lasts for no more than 30 minutes.
The town’s water supply is primarily sourced from two streams, the Relly and the Thutchuk. Water is pumped from these sources to a reservoir in Deolo and then distributed across the municipality’s 23 wards. With the stream flow declining, supply has become increasingly erratic.
“Relly and Thukchuk are the primary sources supplying water to the civic areas through PHE pipelines. Water levels have receded in both. Another source, Newra, is largely earmarked for the Indian army,” Pradhan said.
He expressed concern over the absence of rainfall throughout winter.
“Although winter is nearing its end, there has been no rainfall in the hills so far. We fear this prolonged dry spell may aggravate the water crisis much earlier than usual, even before peak summer. Usually, water shortage intensifies by April-end,” he said.
To provide immediate relief, civic authorities are planning to deploy water tankers to bring in water from alternative natural sources. A formal letter seeking funds from the state government is expected to be sent to the urban development and municipal affairs minister shortly.
At the same time, work on a long-term solution has begun. On December 8 last year, the foundation stone was laid for a ₹196.97-crore drinking water project under the Centre’s AMRUT 2.0 scheme. The project proposes to draw water from the Bhali Khola, a tributary of the Teesta, and distribute it across all municipal wards.
Established in 1945 with a population of around 4,000, Kalimpong has expanded significantly over the decades. The civic area now has an estimated population of 60,000, with a daily water requirement of nearly seven million litres (MLD), putting increasing pressure on its existing supply system.
“We could supply around two MLD. The demand rises during tourist seasons, exacerbating the shortage,” said a civic body source.
Weather experts said the lack of winter rain and snowfall was due to the absence of western disturbances in the region.
“Rain and snowfall in the hills largely depend on western disturbances. This year, their absence throughout winter resulted in no significant rainfall or snowfall. There was some snow in the higher reaches of Sikkim,” said an expert.
Sewerage survey
The Kalimpong municipality has started a survey to prepare a comprehensive sewerage system for the town.
Last November, Gorkhaland Territorial Administration chief executive Anit Thapa had urged the state government to take up the project. Following the request, the State Urban Development Agency (SUDA) directed the civic body to conduct a survey and prepare a detailed project report (DPR) within two months.
The report will be submitted to the state urban development and municipal affairs department for further consideration.
