Frequent power outages and sharp fall in the groundwater level have aggravated water crisis in the Khulna city. The Khulna City Corporation can presently supply only 1.5 crore to 1.75 crore gallons of water per day against the demand for 3 crore gallons. Sources in the corporation said they had 72 wells, 2,825 deep tube wells and 5,942 shallow tube wells and 15,000 water connections in the city. Besides, some households in the city use shallow and deep tube-wells of their own, they added. The sources said water production has also reduced as most of the shallow tube wells remain inoperative and the deep tube wells also cannot lift sufficient water due to the sharp fall in the groundwater level. According to the sources, the city people would cover the shortfall of about 1.25 to 1.50 crore gallons of water using natural sources like ponds and rivers in and around the city, but the ponds are also drying up and the river water has become more salty and muddy. People of Bayra, Rayermahal, Sonadanga and Maheshwarpasha areas said they were facing acute shortage of water as the water from natural sources and tube wells was not sufficient to meet their demand. A large number of people, who live by the side of Rupsha and Bhairab, would use water of the rivers for their household uses, but now it has become useless because of high salinity, residents in the areas said. Frequent power outages also make it difficult for them to store water in tanks and reservoirs, they said. A KCC water department official blamed fall in the groundwater level and severe power outage for the water crisis in the city.