Handwara, May 25: Even though the government claims it is providing drinking water to every home in Kashmir, residents of Muqam Yahama village in the Mawar area of North Kashmir’s Handwara are still waiting for clean water.
Villagers say they have been suffering for years with no relief in sight.
“There is only one tap in our village, and even that gives just a drop of water,” said Manzoor Ahmad, a local resident. “It takes hours to fill one bucket. Women have to fight for that little water.”
With no proper water supply, people are forced to walk more than a kilometre into a nearby forest to collect water.
“It is very risky,” said Shakeela Begum. “We are scared of wild animals. In winter, it becomes worse because the path is slippery. Many women have been injured while climbing the mountain to fetch water.”
Saja Begum, a 50-year-old woman, said the task consumes almost an entire day. “We are poor people. No one listens to us. We have been asking for help for years,” she said. “During elections, leaders come and make promises. But once the voting is over, they forget us.”
Another resident, Nazir Ahmad, added, “We are still living like it’s the old times. No water, no good roads, nothing at all.”
Locals said the lack of basic amenities has left them feeling neglected. “The world has reached new heights, but we are still struggling with basic needs. We have no drinking water, no roads,” said Firdousa Begum, a resident.
“There is a school here where over 100 students are enrolled. They also suffer because of the water crisis,” said Shakeela Begum. “We can only focus on one thing — fetching water. That’s all. We’re unable to do anything else. We are very poor. Nobody helps us.”
The villagers have also made multiple attempts to contact officials. “We even tried to reach the Executive Engineer of the Jal Shakti Department, but he did not respond to our calls,” said a local.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Handwara, Javid Masood, told Rising Kashmir that he would look into the matter, but did not offer any further comment.
“We don’t want big promises,” Shakeela Begum added. “We just want drinking water. That’s all.”
