Jaipur: Apprehending a severe drinking water supply crisis next summer, the Public Health Engineering Department has begun preparing a contingency plan nearly five months before the peak demand season, marking a significant departure from its usual schedule.Officials said this is the first time PHED has initiated summer planning before Diwali and sought proposals directly from divisional engineers working at the ground level. “Normally, PHED prepares and announces its contingency plan for the March-June peak season around February. But given the scarcity of water across the state, the department has issued orders to start work now,” an official said.The department has also changed the planning format. Instead of preparing broad district-wise plans, it has asked engineers from every division to submit local requirements, vulnerabilities and proposed solutions. Each PHED district is divided into circles, and circles into divisions, whose engineers manage day-to-day household supply.“This is also the first time we are seeking inputs from engineers of each division. Instead of one customised plan for every district, we will have separate plans for each division, based on specific demand and field conditions. Once inputs are received, they will be analysed, contingency plans prepared and work orders issued,” a PHED engineer said.In Jaipur, engineers are considering greater use of groundwater to supplement Bisalpur supply. Proposals include increasing tubewell capacity and linking additional groundwater with existing pipelines. Officials said chemists would monitor groundwater quality round-the-clock before it enters the supply system.“According to groundwater department reports, Jaipur’s groundwater level has risen substantially over the past two years. We want to use this opportunity,” an engineer said.Officials maintained that Bisalpur Dam’s current storage is not alarming.However, PHED has recently brought several new localities, particularly in the Prithviraj Nagar division, under Bisalpur supply. With demand expanding and summer pressure expected to intensify, engineers fear the existing network may struggle unless advance measures are put in place well in time.
