Urban development and poverty alleviation department minister Zodintluanga on Monday inaugurated Rs 10 crore water feeder link between Tuikhuahtlang main reservoir to 7th Day reservoir and Luangmual reservoir here in Aizawl.
The commissioned water feeder link is constructed under the fund of NERCCDIP by Mizoram state SIPMIU.
“I have to thank all the stakeholders involved in this project, the construction of this project involved many road cuttings within the city, local councils and people had faced many problems, but waited patiently, now that the project is completed, the people will benefit from it,” Zodintluanga said.
Despite being one of the wet states in the country Mizoram suffers from water crisis. All the traditional sources of water have dried up in the state. Earlier people of Mizoram were depended on streams and springs. Now, Aizawl’s natural water springs dry up during the dry season, while Tlawng river, the sole source of water supply, is reduced to a stream.
Mizoram had two main reservoirs, one built in 1900 and the other in 1953-54. In 1963, the Aizawl Water Supply Scheme was initiated to lift water from Tlawng, a height of 1,050m in Tuikhutlang reservoir through seven stages of pump-sets. In 1972, the Greater Aizawl Water Supply Scheme was launched to cater to barely 80,000 people. This is one of the most costly water lifting schemes in the country. It’s also extremely wasteful.
The Greater Aizawl Water Supply Scheme Phase-II that came up in 1988 has been a non-starter. Work on the Rs 177cr scheme began in 1998, but remained incomplete.