Bongam Shopian residents protest, demand potable water supply
Locals allege months-long neglect, suffer in scorching heat
Shopian: The residents of Bongam area in south Kashmir’s Shopian district on Friday staged a protest against the administration over the non-availability of potable water in the locality, alleging that their repeated pleas have gone unheard for over a month now.
Scores of women, including elderly and children, assembled in the area and raised slogans while demanding immediate restoration of the water supply.
They said the ongoing water crisis has left them struggling in the sweltering heat, with no attention from the concerned department.
“We have been facing this issue for the past two and a half months. Despite repeated requests and visits to the concerned offices, no one has responded,” said Fatima Jan, a protesting woman. “In this unbearable heat, our children and elderly are falling ill. Is it too much to ask for drinking water?”
Another local woman, Shakeela Bano, said they are forced to fetch water from far-off areas, which isn’t easy in this scoring heat.
“Authorities seem to have abandoned us. If they or their families had to face what we are facing, things would’ve been fixed in a day,” she said.
The protesters appealed to the district administration and the Jal Shakti Department to take immediate steps to restore regular potable water supply in the area.
“We have knocked every door, but now we are forced to come on the road. If our issue isn’t resolved within a few days, we will be left with no option other than to come on road” said Muhammad Yousuf, another local resident.
The residents urged Deputy Commissioner Shopian and officials from the Jal Shakti Department to personally look into the matter and ensure a permanent solution to their water woes.
