Shimla Water Crisis :

Shimla's water crisis for long turned into a full-blown crisis this season with most of the town getting water once in eight days. Though now the supply has increased a bit, water is still a precious commodity. With the severe water scarcity, it is proving nearly impossible for residents of Shimla to do the menial daily tasks. People have switched to disposable plates and cups to save water. As water runs scarce the threat of an epidemic has increased significantly. 

How it all began :

In 1830s, Shimla saw rapid growth in terms of residents when the Britishers decided to buy land near the present-day Shimla. As houses grew from a few dozen to thousands, the Britishers knew how important water would be for such a settlement. In 1875, the first water scheme, the Dhalli Catchment area, was opened to supply water to 20,000 people. The water was sourced from a spring in Dhalli catchment area, providing 4.45 MLD of water.

The water supply was augmented in 1914, when pumps were installed on Cherot Nallah and Chair Nallah to supply an additional 7.30 MLD of water. The next augmentation came a decade later in 1924 at Nauti Khad. After Independence, the water supply was increased by installing pumps at Gumma & Darbala, Ashwani khad and the latest one at Giri. 
Shimla has a total of seven water sources of which the two main sources of water, Ashwani khad and the Nauti khad (of which Gumma is a part), have witnessed significant reduction in water level. These existing water sources are tributaries and sub-tributaries of River Satluj and River Yamuna. The I&PH department lifts the water from the source and takes it to treatment plants, where the water is treated and supplied to tanks from where the Shimla Municipal Corporation supplies water to the town.

The requirement for the town is about 45 MLD according to Shimla Municipal Corporation documents, however, the present yield is less than 32 MLD even on normal days. Giri and the Gumma Scheme have the installed capacity of 20 and 24 MLD respectively, and are currently pumping 20 MLD combined. 

Water has always been a scarce resource in Shimla.  A Geography professor at Himachal Pradesh University, blamed the British for initiating the water crisis in Shimla. “Shimla is located on a ridge. The moment the British set the town up it was an invitation for a crisis to happen. Development in Shimla over the decades is against what we see in other towns across the world, it is a geographical error.” 

After Himachal Pradesh was granted full statehood in 1971, the population of Shimla, being the state capital, increased manifold. The water sources present at that time were the only ones set up by the British supplying 22 MLD of water where the demand was 24 MLD, creating a deficit of 2 MLD. Over the years this deficit increased with growing population and little augmentation to the water supply. 

The current crisis  :

The current crisis, the worst in decades, has left Shimla and its residents in a tumultuous situation. Residents were being made to wait for hours for water tankers. After waiting for the municipal tankers to arrive all day long, a large number of frustrated locals marched to the Chief Minister's residence demanding answers from his government and the BJP-led municipal corporation. 
Locals, politicians and activists have taken to the streets to voice their anger. Roadblocks in New Shimla, Sanjauli and Panthaghati are frequent causing hour-long traffic jams. A desperate man even threatened to self-immolate if water did not reach his house. 

MC employees with keys to the local water distribution lines by the order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court are being provided with police security. Reports have surfaced that some of them were being heckled in various localities to open valves to the primary water source of the area. Not only that, water tankers too are being escorted by the police in various areas to avoid any scuffle. 

Tourism Decline :

As many as 40 hotels have had their water supply shut completely due to non-payment of water bills.The hilly town of Shimla being close to the states of Punjab and Haryana, serves as a popular tourist destination with an average 18,000 tourists visiting everyday. The number goes significantly up during weekends. In the midst of the water crisis locals took to social media advising tourists not to visit Shimla so that water available could be evenly distributed among residents. There is almost a 35% decrease in tourists as. Hoteliers are either refunding the entire amount paid by tourists wishing to cut short their stay or cancelling the bookings for the near future. 

The local coolies and street vendors are the ones bearing the most burden of the reduced tourism. With tourism being the primary contributor to their income. these men who charge a few hundred bucks to carry heavy luggage have been left stranded. 

The famous International Summer festival has been cancelled by the office of the Deputy Commissioner. The Summer festival has witnessed Bollywood and international artists perform for decades and is one of the main tourist attractions of the hill station.

 The state government closed government schools for an entire week amidst the water crisis. 

Main reasons behind Shimla's acute water crisis :

1. Shimla's tourist footfall :

• The increasing number of tourists visiting the foothills is adding to the problem.
• 15,000-20,000 tourists visit the Himalayan city every day during the peak tourist season
• The resident population of the city is 2.2 lakh, while tourist arrivals over the weekend reach 25,000-30,000

2. Climate change in Shimla :

• Climate plays a big role in this water crisis; climate change and its impacts are profound on the hilly city's water supply system.
• Rare and scanty rainfall this season was on an average 80 per cent deficient than the usual during previous monsoon months
• There was also much lower-than-usual precipitation during the winter months, making them dry
• The sources of water have gone 50 per cent below the average
• The less retention of water through the natural water eco-system, and more flooding in Shimla has led to residual water that cannot be harvested
• The reduction in snowfall has reduced the capacity of the various sources of water in Shimla. To add to the plight, frequent hailstorm have caused the pumping of water at source to stop frequently due to excessive silt in the streams. Low voltage at Giri water source has also been a hindrance in pumping water. 

3. Building plan in Shimla :

• The overall building plan in the city is a matter of concern for the water crisis
• More embankments are required to restrict the flow of surface water so that it percolates and recharges numerous water bodies
• But, the kind of infrastructure that is in place for drains and houses is such that water gushes fast and is hardly retained
• Catchment areas need to be created around water bodies to promote natural recharging

4. Green cover :

The reduced green cover of the state of Himachal Pradesh is another reason behind the water scarcity this summer. There is a simple concept called evapotranspiration, where there are more trees and plants there will be more evaporation leading to cloud formation which result in rain. This rainfall helps rejuvenate these water sources, hence the importance of trees cannot be sidelined deforestation in Shimla is an important factor for reduced water levels at source.
 

5. Leekage :

The age-old piping laid out by the Shimla Municipal Corporation decades ago has also helped in depleting the water distribution capacity. Various studies, including one mentioned on the Shimla Municipal Corporation website puts the water lost due to leakage at 45%. The pipe leakage issue is so huge that it became the primary election agenda in various Municipal wards during the MC elections in 2017.

As the Municipal Corporation failed to keep a regular check on pipelines, locals have exploited the water connections by illegally sourcing water from the main water pipeline to their homes. 

Steps to be taken :

• Although the state government has secured funding from the Word Bank to lift 50 MLD of water from Kol Dam located in Bilaspur and Mandi district, the project has been hanging high and dry off late.
• Giri water scheme needs to be tapped to its full strength. “Giri is only source that can be used to solve the water crisis. It needs to restructured and re-planned.
• The amount of rainfall Shimla gets needs to be utilised but the lack of a storage type system has held Shimla back from using the water conservation plan. The town and country planning department should make it mandatory for new buildings being constructed to deploy rain water harvesting techniques.

According to a research  the deficit in water supply will grow to 42.61 MLD if the present sources are not taken care of and no significant addition is made.