Ranchi: With summer season approaching, the Ranchi Municipal Corporation (RMC) has begun preparations to tackle possible water scarcity in the city, rolling out a summer action plan to ensure a clean and uninterrupted drinking water supply across all 53 wards.Civic officials said the corporation will work in coordination with the Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) and the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department to monitor supply conditions and address potential shortages in different localities during peak summer months. According to civic officials, 361 dry zones were identified across Ranchi based on the 2025 data. These include small pockets in urban localities such as Morabadi, Hindpiri, Ashoknagar, Bariatu and Lalpur, which often face water shortages during summer. Monitoring teams were asked to prepare ward-wise reports and conduct gap assessments so that issues faced in previous years can be addressed through targeted action. RMC currently has 70 water tankers that supply water free of cost in dry zones during summer. Tankers of 4,000-litre and 6,000-litre capacity are deployed depending on demand. In non-dry zones, residents can request tanker supply by paying Rs 800 for a 4,000-litre tanker. Officials said tankers will now be stationed at designated locations so that tractors carrying them can quickly refill and cover more areas without unnecessary delays. According to the official statement, the civic body intensified monitoring of 1,611 mini Hydrant Tanker Distribution (HYDT) points, 181 HYDTs and around 2,507 handpumps within the municipal area. “Defunct handpumps are being repaired ahead of summer, and officials were directed to paint damaged pumps red and functional ones blue for easy identification,” the statement read.Authorities were also instructed to repair all public drinking water kiosks and remove those that are no longer functional. Joint inspections will be conducted in areas where water supply is disrupted to restore services quickly.To ensure quick grievance redressal, a control room helpline (18005701235) was activated to register complaints related to pipeline leakages, contaminated water supply, illegal water connections and unauthorised groundwater extraction.Meanwhile, officials said the city’s main water source, Getalsud Dam, currently holds comfortable reserves.Chandra Shekhar, executive engineer, Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, Swarnrekha Head Works Division, said the city is unlikely to face a major supply crisis. “Nearly 80% of Ranchi’s water supply comes from Getalsud, covering areas such as Ratu Road, parts of Morabadi and Kanke. Due to good rainfall last year, there should not be any immediate concern about the dam drying up. However, we are coordinating with RMC and sharing helpline numbers to address any local shortages,” he said.However, some residents remain concerned about recurring summer shortages. Amit Kumar, a resident near Tagore Hill in Kanke, said, “Every year we face severe water shortage in peak summer and often depend on tankers. We hope authorities ensure regular supply this time.”
