Tral residents demand potable water supply
Allege that water supply scheme was sanctioned few years back, but work not started on it
Pulwama: The residents in Arigam village in Tral hamlet of south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are facing scarcity of potable water since last several years, locals alleged Saturday.
They said that the households are getting highly contaminated water from the existing water supply scheme and after hectic efforts a new water supply scheme was approved for the area during 2018.
The locals said that they are forced to visit Tral town to get water from spring sources in absence of proper drinking water facility there.
They said that a new scheme stands approved but civil work on the scheme hasn’t been started yet.
Ishfaq Ahmad, a local resident said that they are forced to consume contaminated water and the women folk is forced to tread for several kilometers to fetch water from a spring from main town Tral.
He said that they have brought this issue into the notice of higher ups several times but to no avail.
Locals said that last year after the issue was highlighted, two public posts were installed but they aren’t enough to cater to the whole village.
The locals requested the concerned authorities to look into the matter at an earliest and take immediate steps for providing potable water to the area.
An official of the department of PHE while acknowledging that there is shortage of potable drinking water in the area, said that a new scheme was approved years back to address the issue.
He said that first nobody provided land for the new scheme and later when land was identified and a well was dug, however it collapsed.
He said that officials have retendered the work and the project has been allotted but due to some technical issues the work didn’t start.
He further added that department is on it and work on the scheme will start soon and locals won’t have to suffer for long .
Jahangeer Ganaie
