Drinking water supply in Jaipur hinges on Bisalpur dam completely. This has been the situation after Ramgarh dam dried up, prompting the government to initiate water connection from the former.
But the alarming fact is that besides Bisalpur dam, there is no other source of drinking water for the city. And in the event of the Bisalpur dam drying up, the city would be left high and dry, literally.
During monsoon last year, the Bisalpur dam was not completely filled up and currently, the water level in the dam is low. With the current level of water, the city’s water needs can last till October 2018. However, if the monsoon remains weak this year, the ripple effect (of water shortage) will take place in summer next year.
Despite the high court order, the government could not make the Ramgarh dam operational even though 70% of the capital is in the Dark Zone.
All the dams lying around the city of Jaipur are dry and the ground level of the city is rapidly falling.
Bisalpur dam located in Tonk district is the main source of drinking water not only for Jaipur but also for Ajmer, Dudu, Tonk and Malpura. Due to substantial water supply to the dam from 2010 to 2016, the dam was completely filled.
The total capacity of the dam is 315.50 RL meters. Last year, the water in the dam fell and the dam was not filled. This time, due to the overwhelming heat, a substantial amount of water in the dam evaporated.
About 6,000 lakh litres of water is being supplied daily to Jaipur, Tonk, Malpura and other areas and 3,050 lakh litres of water daily to Ajmer. Due to the continuous tapping and vaporisation of water in the dam, water is getting reduced by 2 to 3 cm in a day. The water from the dam is continuously going out. If the water of the dam decreases at the same speed, the dam will be empty in October.
