Nine years on, defunct filtration plant yet to be repaired in Pulwama
Work tendered out, will soon start restoration work: Officials
Pulwama: The residents of three villages in south Kashmir are consuming contaminated water as authorities have failed to repair a filtration plant that got damaged during 2014 floods and is still lying defunct.
The residents of Zahid Bagh, Rakh and Darbagh villages said the water supply scheme was started in 2012 to provide potable water to several villages however, the dream to have safe drinking water proved a mirage as the filtration plant of the scheme turned defunct after just two years.
The filtration plant of the supply got defunct in 2014 floods since then around 500 households have been suffering,” they said, adding that authorities have failed to take cognizance of the issue.
They said despite the scheme being started a decade ago, dozens of households in Darbagh and Zahid Bagh are yet to be connected with the supply lines.
Aabid Ahmad, a local Auqaf member said that the scheme is functioning without filtration plants, forcing people to consume contaminated water.
In the absence of a filtration plant, water from Nallah Tongri, which is highly contaminated, is directly being supplied to us, he said.
Locals said that despite bringing this issue continuously into the notice of concerned authorities, nothing has been done so far.
They said that by using contaminated water continuously, there are chances that water borne diseases can break out anytime.
They demanded that pending households must be connected with the scheme as well.
The locals also demanded intervention of DC Pulwama for installing fresh filtration plant there so that locals too can get potable water.
Meanwhile, an official of the PHE department said that installing a fresh filtration plant has been taken up as work has been tendered out and work is expected to start soon.
