Despite wet weather, taps in this south Kashmir village running dry
Pulwama: Despite a plentiful snowfall last winter, which should have otherwise ensured regular water supply in the ongoing summer, dozens of households in a Pulwama village in south Kashmir are facing an acute water shortage with villagers saying the taps had been running dry for the last two months.
The residents of Naina village in Litter tehsil of Pulwama district accused the authorities of not taking any initiative to mitigate the problems of the villagers and said that the acute water scarcity was inflicting sufferings on the residents.
The agitated residents, who on Thursday protested against water scarcity, blocked the Sangam-Pulwama road for many hours causing inconvenience to the commuters.
“From the last two months, the taps in the village have been dry and the approach of the authorities has added to the vows of the people here,” Asif Ahmad, a resident said.
The protestors said that the woman folk in the village had been fetching water from nearby streams, which can take toll on the health of people given.
Although the village gets water from a local water supply scheme, but for the last two months the scheme has been functioning partially with only a few households in the village getting water on a daily basis, another villager said.
“The authorities have been informed about the issue, but till date nothing has been done,” he added.
The residents said that if authorities fail to provide water, they would be forced to up the protest that can even cause greater inconvenience to people.
Executive Engineer PHE Division Pulwama, Mushtaq Ahmad said that the employees of the department were on job and assured the water supply will be restored by Friday.
Jahangeer Ganaie
