Arif Rashid
Beerwah, June 3: The PHE Department has restored around 70 percent of the drinking water supply network damaged by recent rains and rising water levels in Nallah Sukhnag and other streams in Budgam’s Beerwah and Khag areas.
Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE), PHE Sub-Division Beerwah, Shoaib Yousuf Lone, said on Tuesday that heavy rainfall in the higher reaches of Budgam on Monday led to a significant increase in water levels in Nallah Sukhnag and other water bodies, causing extensive damage to drinking water pipelines in several areas.
“The high-altitude regions of Budgam received heavy rainfall, resulting in a sharp rise in water levels in Nallah Sukhnag and other streams. Consequently, a large number of water supply pipelines were damaged,” Lone said.
He said the affected areas include Beerwah, Rathsun, Kandoora, Iskanderpora, Goripora, Makhama, Gundipora, Pethi-Kanihama, and several villages in Khag tehsil.
According to the AEE, the department acted promptly to restore water supply in the worst-hit areas. “Water supply has been restored on an immediate basis in Beerwah, Rathsun, Kandoora, Iskanderpora, Goripora, Makhama, and Gundipora to ensure that residents do not face any shortage of drinking water,” he said.
Lone added that around 70 percent of the damaged water supply network in Khag has also been restored. He expressed confidence that the remaining affected areas would receive restored water supply within the next two days.
“Our employees are working round the clock to repair the damaged infrastructure and restore water supply to all affected areas at the earliest,” he said.
Highlighting the severity of the damage in Pethi-Kanihama village, Lone said the area suffered extensive losses to its water supply network.
“Pethi-Kanihama has been among the worst affected areas. We have deployed additional manpower there to expedite restoration work and ensure water supply is resumed to all households as soon as possible,” he added.