Jaipur stares at acute water crisis, Bisalpur dam about to dry in a month

Jaipur, the capital city of desert state Rajasthan, is staring at an acute water crisis with just a month’s supply left in the city’s main source of water, Bisalpur dam.

According to the Rajasthan Public Health Engineering Department, the current water level in Bilaspur dam is 64.93 cusec metres, or 5.93 per cent against its full capacity of 1,095 cusec metres.

Jaipur has received only 116 mm rainfall so far in this year’s monsoon and if it doesn’t rain, they city will run out of water in the next 30 days.

At least 12 districts in western part of the state has received less than 60 per cent average rainfall as compared to last year. Of the total 810 dams in Rajasthan, 517 are on the verge of drying with less than 33 per cent water.

Environmentalists are concerned as several Indian cities are facing water crisis. Scanty rains this summer triggered a severe water crisis in Chennai after all the four reservoirs that cater thee needs of the city became bone dry.

According to a recent study by NITI Ayog, 21 Indian cities, including Delhi and Bengaluru, will run out of groundwater by 2020.