Baramulla, Aug 21: The residents of Nowpora village of Sopore in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district on Monday held a protest demonstration against the Jal Shakti Department, accusing it of failing to reinstate water supply services in the area.
The protesters said they are grappling with a dire water shortage for several months.
“The village has two filtration plants, yet the supply remains meagre, not to mention the lack of filtered water,” one of the protestors said, adding, “We have been left with no option but to take to the streets.”
She said the village is without water for the last two months and the department is not paying any heed to our repeated requests.
Another protester said that a 1.5-inch pipeline meant for 30 to 40 households provided by the department some 20 years ago is now catering to the needs of 300 to 400 households.
The protesters urged the administration, especially Deputy Commissioner Baramulla, to take note of the issue and “promptly” address the water crisis.
An official of the Jal Shakti Department acknowledged the aggravated water consumption during the ongoing heat wave conditions. He cited illegal connections and excessive water usage as contributing factors to the constrained supply to certain areas.
“To rectify this, squads have been deployed to confiscate illicit connections, with the aim of alleviating the concerns of the residents, he said.
The official also said that a comprehensive solution is underway. “The area is slated to receive new pipelines as part of the Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) initiative, scheduled for completion within two months. This impending development is expected to eradicate water scarcity issues once and for all,” he said.
He, however, clarified that raw water is not being supplied to residents and emphasised that the situation will witness a turnaround with the introduction of fresh pipelines and aligning the supplies with those of Sopore town.
