Kalantara-Kreeri residents protest against drinking water shortage

Baramulla, Aug 24: Residents of Kalantara-Kreeri in North Kashmir’s Baramulla district staged a protest on Thursday against the Department of Jal Shakti for its failure to provide sufficient drinking water to the area.
Mostly women protesters blocked the Kalantara-Kreeri road for approximately one hour and lifted the blockade only after authorities assured them of resolving the issue on a priority basis.
The protesters said that scarcity of drinking water has existed for the last two months and the issue has worsened from the last ten days.
“We have been without drinking water for the last two months. Earlier the supply was good but from the last ten days the scarcity of water is creating problems for the locals. We are not getting sufficient drinking water,” said Riyaz Ahmad Mir, a protesting local.
He said that at a time when the administration is claiming to provide drinking water to each household, we have been deprived of the same for the last two months.
Another local who was part of the protest demonstration said that the area receives its drinking water through a two-inch main pipeline, which is the primary cause of the water scarcity issue.
“We have been visiting the offices of Jal Shakti officials and the district administration, but the authorities are turning a deaf ear to our repeated pleas,” he said.
The locals mentioned that one of the largest filtration plants at Salam Deedar, which supplies water to numerous villages, is situated half a kilometer away from Kalantra.
“Despite this proximity, the area continues to experience water problems.”
They highlighted that the authorities could have alleviated the crisis by dispatching water tankers to the region. Unfortunately, despite repeated pleas, they did not do so, leading to significant hardships for the local residents.
“We are forced to fetch water from dirty streams which has the potential to cause waterborne diseases,” said Naseema Bano, a protesting woman.
The protesters later ended their protest after assurance by the law enforcement department that their issue will be resolved soon.
Meanwhile residents of Khanpeth Singhpora area of Pattan also held a protest demonstration over inadequate water supply from the Jal Shakti Department.
Demonstrators, mostly women, gathered to protest the ongoing water shortage that has plagued the area for weeks.
They blamed the authorities for neglecting their repeated pleas.
Assistant Executive Engineer (AEE) of Jal Shakti department in Pattan, along with Naib Tehsildar Singhpora, arrived at the scene to address the concerns of the locals.
They assured the protesting residents that their grievances would be promptly addressed.
AEE Jal Shakti Pattan Mudassir Ahmad said that a portion of the locals are resorting to using power boosters which disrupts the equitable drinking water supply to neighboring areas.
He vowed to take stern action against those responsible for using power boosters.
He highlighted the need for cooperation among residents to ensure an equitable distribution of water resources.
The protesting residents however called for stringent measures to deter individuals misusing power boosters and water pumps.
They demanded that the authorities seize the equipment of those found guilty of such actions, to prevent further suffering of the locals due to the actions of a few.