Every water connection will have a separate tap connection by December 2021: DC Kupwara
Tasaduq Hussain
Kupwara: The Jal Jeevan department in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district has come under a sharp criticism as several villages continue to remain without tap water even in the modern era forcing the people to find alternatives to survive amid the global pandemic and increasing demand for water in summers.
Talking to news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), residents of several villages blamed the Jal Jeevan department of playing hide and seek with people and leaving them to suffer for want of drinking water.
Some of the villages without water supply for many years now in this remote district include, Pazipora Dedikote, Dard Harie, Chalgund Halmatpora, ward 12 (Zangli) and Kanipora-Kalaroos.
The residents of Pazipora complained about the failure of the Jal Jeevan department for years now stating that the department has miserably failed to ensure tap water to every household despite tall claims. “Our entire area is without tap water facility for years. When approached those at the helm of affairs, every time we had to return only with assurances. Our women folk have to walk miles by foot to get drinking water despite the fact we are in year 2020, a modern era,” they said.
The residents of Kanipora-Kalaroos said that the area is an offsite place and very rarely the representatives, officials from administration visit them to verify about their fate. “
“At times, we feel like we are abandoned and there is none to look after our grievances for years now despite. When we take active part in all democratic activities, we are praised and given assurances like anything. When it comes to working on ground, all assurances fall flat,” the residents of Kalaroos said.
Dard Harie is an area where there is an acute shortage of drinking water and people are left with no option other than to dig wells. The aggrieved local residents here said that the area had a full-fledged water supply scheme in 1990s but the officials of Jal Jeewan department failed to maintain the same leaving the people high and dry. “We have suffered immensely over the years due to lack of drinking water. We drink contaminated water and authorities are in slumber,” said Imtiyaz Ahmed, a resident of the village.
Chalgund-Halmatpora, a densely populated narrated a similar ordeal the residents said that the lack of water scheme in their locality has made them to pay a huge price over the years and the unbeaten miseries seem to have no end since the concerned department never paid heed to their problems despite repeated requests. People from Ward 12 of Zangli village narrated similar tales of acute water security issues in their village. Deputy Commissioner, Kupwara, Anshul Garg told KNO that by 2021, a comprehensive water supply scheme will be implemented by the Jal Jeevan department that will cover one lakh households. “Every household will have a separate tap water connection by December 2021,” he said—(KNO)
