Jodhpur: Videos and images of students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jodhpur – one of India’s premier institutions of higher learning – running after tankers to fetch water has left social media users in a state of shock.
The students, expected to focus on academics and research, are instead dealing with basic problems like access to drinking water, thanks to government apathy.
Concerns have now been raised on how such essential needs remain unresolved at an institution of national importance, as reported by NDTV.
A video showing students chasing a water tanker went viral on social media. In the clip, a student can be seen running behind the tanker to collect water.
IIT Jodhpur director Avinash Kumar Agarwal acknowledged the problem and said that the institute is possibly the only central
institution in the state that does not have a regular supply of clean water.
“In IIT Jodhpur, we get rural supply. I think IIT Jodhpur is the only central institution in Rajasthan which does not have clean water supply. We have rural supply. And no other institution in Jodhpur is told that you bring your own water,” Agarwal said.
The campus has to arrange its own water supply from the pumping station, unlike other institutions in Jodhpur, he said. The situation worsened about two days ago after a machine at the pumping station got damaged due to voltage fluctuations. Water supply to the entire campus was disrupted.
Staff members worked for nearly 30 hours to restore the system, the director said. During such breakdowns, the institute has to arrange water from Surpura village as an alternative source.
Agrawal said that ensuring a stable water supply is the responsibility of the state government. A request will soon be made to the chief secretary, during an upcoming visit, to lay a direct pipeline to the IIT Jodhpur campus, he said.
The director said that such a solution is necessary to ensure that students and staff living on campus do not continue to face difficulties in accessing drinking water.