Jahangeer Ganaie
Pulwama, Jan 25: After five years of approving the water supply scheme for the Aripal area of Tral in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district, the Jal Shakti Department has submitted a revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the scheme.
Locals said that they have been grappling with a severe shortage of potable water for several years. They said authorities failed to address the issue.
Despite a new water supply scheme being approved for the area in 2018, the situation remains dire, the locals said.
Local social activist Ishfaq Gull, said the water supply scheme was sanctioned in 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs 3.5 crore. It has seen no progress on the ground in the five years since its approval, he said, adding that the people of the area continue to use contaminated water.
Ramzan Baba, a local Auqaf member, criticised the Jal Shakti Department, saying the residents are compelled to drink contaminated water and travel long distances to fetch water from a spring in the main town of Tral.
“Despite raising the issue with higher-ups multiple times, our pleas have fallen on deaf ears,” Baba said. He appealed to the department to immediately address the pressing need for potable water in the area.
AEE PHE Tral, Mohammad Rafiq, said the department is actively working on the matter.
“The revised DPR has recently been submitted and tenders for the project are expected to be invited in March this year,” he said.
