To mitigate the risk of a water crisis in the city, Lucknow Jal Sansthan has announced a 2-hour water cut in Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar from today. Notably, these areas get their water supply directly from the Kathauta lake which has been showing signs of low water levels since Tuesday.

Closed since May 8, Sharda Canal undergoes a cleanliness drive two times every year which results in the reduction of water level at the Kathauta lake. This, in turn, leads to a major setback in the water supply to these residential areas.

Ram Kailash, Secretary of the Water Department has requested the Irrigation Department to restart the canal by May 31. According to officials of Jal Sansthan, the situation might further aggravate in the coming days if the Sharda Canal doesn't start supplying water to the lake in time.

While the authorities have ordered a 2-water cut now, they might have to increase this duration later to manage this water crisis. This shortage of water is affecting more than 5 lakh residents of Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar in Lucknow.

In a bid to counter acute water shortage, Jal Sansthan has added 100 pumps across Gomti Nagar, the 68 in Indira Nagar. If the water level of the lake takes a dip, these pumps will be used to supply water directly to the affected areas.

Expressing his concerns over this water crisis, Satyam Naithani a resident of Meena Market in Indira Nagar, said, "Apart from the water cuts, we are also facing problems of low pressure in taps as well. It has become very difficult to meet the daily water requirement. This situation occurs two times every year but the administration has not found a permanent solution to this menace to date."

This is not the first time that the people of the Lucknow have faced this problem. The water shortage is a bi-annual issue that causes a lot of problems to the people living in Gomti Nagar and Indira Nagar. While the citizens demand a permanent solution to this problem, the authorities fail to devise one.