Water Schemes Battered, 95% Temporarily Restored: Agnihotri Battles Fund Crunch, Manpower Gaps
Shimla, August 4:
As torrential rains and flash floods continue to batter Himachal, Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri on Monday admitted that the state’s water infrastructure has taken a massive hit — with over 5,800 water supply schemes knocked out by nature’s fury.
Of these, 5,440 have been “temporarily” restored, but the road to full recovery is steep, given the sheer scale of damage and a crunch in funds and manpower.
There are many a cases where locals came together, went to the sources and restore the water supply schemes temporarily.
The Jal Shakti Department is grappling with damage worth over ₹580 crore to 7,543 schemes across the state — including drinking water, irrigation, sewerage, hand pumps, and flood protection works.
Alone, water supply systems suffered a blow of ₹434 crore. Nearly 1,300 irrigation schemes, 83 sewerage projects, and 43 flood protection structures have also been impacted.
“The damage is massive, but our teams are working round the clock,” said Agnihotri, while acknowledging the strain on human resources.
“The challenge is real. Our field staff is stretched thin. We’re restoring schemes under severe limitations.”
The state has 10,067 water supply schemes — including 6,522 gravity-based, 3,210 lift schemes, and 335 tube wells — and the deputy CM insisted that restoration remains a “top priority.”
He praised frontline Jal Shakti staffers for working in extremely difficult conditions but admitted that permanent repairs will take time and money, both in short supply.
With the monsoon still active and landslides frequent, the government is fighting a battle on multiple fronts — infrastructure loss, delayed funds, and an overstretched workforce.
Agnihotri called for immediate support to strengthen manpower and fund flow. Until then, the fixes will remain temporary — and so will the relief.
#HimachalFloods #WaterCrisis #MonsoonDamage #InfrastructureCollapse #MukeshAgnihotri
