Firemen in Sector 21, Chandigarh, on Monday. Jasbir Malhi
Firemen in the Chandigarh have been assigned a new job these days — to supply water through tankers to areas with water scarcity or repair leakages in the pipelines. As many as 200 firemen have been asked to carry out this job for around 15 days. Sources said that due to a spurt in water-related complaints in this summer and the civic body being short of staff in the public health wing, they have been engaged for this task.
Depending upon complaints received by the public health wing from different areas, duties are being allocated. On Monday and Tuesday, the firemen were assigned to visit sectors 21, 23, 24, 30, 32, 39, 40, 41, 42, Manimajra, Buterla village, Attawa, 43, 44, 47, 48 and other southern sectors.
The city has been facing an acute water shortage. At present, Chandigarh gets 85 million gallons daily (MGD). Of this, about 58 MGD comes from Kajauli waterworks Phases I, II, III and IV, and the remaining 27 MGD is generated through 250 tubewells. In this season, the demand has gone up to 116 MGD and a gap in the demand and supply has risen. As a result, residents, particularly in southern belt and those living on upper floors, have been struggling to get water. However, the firemen complain that they are not meant for plumbing or supplying water with the water-tanker drivers.
A firemen on condition of anonymity said, “The authorities are trying to use us for these jobs in the garb of training. We have been told that this is one of the criteria for promotion and a kind of training under the head of water supply distribution. But the training of water supply distribution is completely different under fire service rules; it includes technicalities of how to use fire service hydraulics, amount of water pressure required using hydraulics, pump operations and how to deal with jet reaction and water surge when a fire breaks.” He added, “But here we have been asked to solve the domestic water supply problem.”
Municipal Commissioner K K Yadav said, “I dont know why they have been tasked with these jobs. I will check with the fire department. It shouldn’t have happened.” Additional Commissioner-cum-Chief Fire Officer Anil Garg was not available for comment.