Shimla, Sep 11 (Inditop.com) The ‘Queen of Hills’, as Shimla was fondly called by the British, has been experiencing an acute drinking water shortage despite heavy rains.
“Shimla has been facing an acute shortage of water since Thursday morning due to an inflow of excessive silt in the water channels from where the water is being lifted. The entire city, even the posh areas, is without water,” Shimla’s Municipal Commissioner A.N. Sharma told Inditop.
He said continuous heavy rainfall in the past 48 hours has silted all the water channels.
“After the accumulation of silt, the pumping of the water is not possible. Some of the main water supply pipes have also been damaged due to excessive rain,” he said.
According to him, the water shortage would continue till the rain stops.
The water crisis has left hoteliers unhappy as they expect a heavy rush of tourists this weekend. The town has more than 450 hotels, restaurants and guest houses.
“The water crisis has once again dashed our hopes of brisk business this weekend. It will definitely affect the tourism industry in the long run,” Dinesh Gupta of the Himani Group of Hotels said.
Manmohan Singh, Meteorological department director, said Shimla recorded more than 150 mm of rain in the past 48 hours.
Shimla, Himachal Pradesh’s popular tourist town, attracts 40,000 to 50,000 tourists every weekend on an average.
