Drinking water still a rare commodity in Mizoram

 The scarcity of water for domestic consumption in the entire Mizoram and in Aizawl particular has turned very acute. Water supply assumes serious public concern and interest as the State administration despite its best efforts to provide enough dinking water to the people could not achieve much success.

 With the Government’s water supply schemes through pipelines having its limitations, the people of the State are facing acute drinking water problem. Most families in Aizawl have been subjected to heavy rationing of water for domestic purposes. The people are apprehensive that the water scarcity will get worse further if the water supply programme undertaken by the State administration does not improve considerably.

 Literally, the word Mizos means ‘dwellers of the hills’. Since the earliest days, the Mizos confined to the hills for a number of factors. Hill top settlements together with the unfriendly terrains make water sources scarce in the State. Hence, water was, and still is rarely available near the villages. People, therefore had to go down the hills in search of springs and would have to wait for hours, sometimes even whole day and night for their vessel to be filled up with drops of water trickling from the springs. Thus, the struggle for water had been a constant endeavour for the people of Mizoram.

 In 1900, a 12 lakh gallon capacity underground reservoir was constructed with stone masonary at Tuikhuatlang on the hillock at Aizawl. A slopped roof was erected with galvanised corrugated iron sheet around the reservoir for harvesting rainwater. That was the only water supply system of Aizawl at that time. However, the water collected in the reservoir used to be distributed only to a few high and senior officials, thus water remained a scarcity for the general public.

 A similar reservoir having 18 lakh gallons capacity was constructed at Laiputlang on the hillock of North Aizwal near Chaltang during 1953-54. It was followed up by Aizwal Water Supply Scheme in 1963. Drinking water was made available to the people of Aizawl by lifting water from river Tlwang to a height of 1050m (static) in Tuikhutlang reservoir through seven stages of pump-sets.

 With Mizoram becoming Union Territory in 1972, the Greater Aizawl Water Scheme Phase-1 was launched. The scheme was designed to quench the thirst of 80,000 souls by lifting water from river Tlwang. This was followed by Greater Lunglei Water Supply Scheme commissioned in 1994. In this scheme, designed to feed 60,000 people and the water was lifted to a height of 820m (static) using a high-head single stage pump. Many other water supply schemes such as Kolasib, Serchhip were introduced to boost water supply in the State. According to the State PHE department, at present, Greater Aizawl Water Supply Scheme Phase-II is being executed at a rapid speed.