15 days on Yaripora village without potable water
Concerned authorities are unmoved, allege locals
Kulgam: Residents of Kanjikular village of Yaripora Tehsil in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district on Friday said that in times of Covid-19 pandemic they are without drinking water since the past 15 days and the concerned department is unmoved as it has paid no heed towards the demands of the locals.
The residents of the village said they are being forced to fetch water from nearby streams which pose them the threat of getting infected with waterborne disease.
They said that they were getting piped water from a spring located in neighbouring village, however, water drawn from a local canal was mixed with the spring water due to which dozens of people fell ill in the area.
They said that pipes installed are also going through the canal and these pipes have worn out and are leaking which also results in seepage of water of the canals making the water unfit for human use.
They further added that after several people fell sick in the area, they tried to find the reason and later it was found that the drinking water supplied to the area is contaminated as dirty water from a nearby canal was making its way into the supply lines.
“Following the disclosure the water supply was stopped and since then it has been more than two weeks but the area is without drinking water facility,” Abdul Aziz, a local resident said.
He said that since the past 15 days the concerned department has failed to take any concrete step in this regard due to which locals of the area are suffering a lot.
He said that the village comprises of over 300 households and all of them have been fetching water from local stream and using it for various purposes.
Locals said that several representations were made to the Jal Shakti department but they are paying no heed to the pleas.
The residents of the area have urged the higher officials of the Jal Shakti department to take immediate steps and replace the leaking pipes besides stopping the flow of canal water into the spring and restore the drinking water facility to these areas at an earliest.
Despite repeated attempts, the concerned executive engineer wasn’t available for comment on the issue.
Jahangeer Ganaie
