Nadigam residents protest over shortage of potable water, demand immediate action
Shopian: The residents of Nadigam village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district staged a protest on Thursday, voicing their anger and frustration over the prolonged scarcity of potable water in the area.
The aggrieved villagers said they have been left with no choice but to come out on the streets as their repeated pleas to the administration have gone unheard.
“The existing pipeline in our village is completely defunct. We have been pleading with the authorities for years,” said Abdul Gani, a local resident.
“Finally, a new water supply scheme was sanctioned for three villages, including Nadigam, and the pipeline was laid here nearly six months ago. But sadly, water is still not reaching our homes,” he added.
Locals said the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department has failed to connect the newly laid pipeline to the scheme due to a minor hurdle — an 8 to 10 feet stretch of macadamised road that needs to be cut for the connection.
“It’s just a matter of cutting a small portion of the road,” said Rafiqa Bano, a resident of the village.
“Yet, even after half a year, the department hasn’t moved an inch. We are forced to fetch water from unsafe sources which put our families, especially children and elderly, at risk,” she added.
The villagers alleged that despite submitting multiple written and verbal requests to the authorities, there has been no response or action on the ground.
“Our women are walking long distances to fetch water in this heat. What is the use of spending lakhs on a new scheme if it isn’t going to be connected?” questioned Ghulam Nabi, another local.
The residents appealed to Deputy Commissioner Shopian and the PHE Department to intervene without delay and ensure that the pipeline is connected immediately, so that clean drinking water reaches their homes.
