Nowpora Baramulla residents protest against Jal Shakti Dept over water crisis

Baramulla, Aug 22: Amid scorching heat, Nowpora Jagir village in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district continues to grapple with a severe water crisis, with locals accusing the Jal Shakti Department of negligence, saying the situation is worsening with each passing day.
The aggrieved residents while protesting over the issue said that they are without drinking water supply for more than a month and alleged that the department hardly bothered to redress their genuine demands despite taking the matter several times into their consideration.
“There is not a single day we approach the Jal Shakti Department. We are oftentimes assured of early redressal but nothing is being done,” they said, adding that the most affected areas are Bedenhar, Mirangund and others.
Mohammad Rafiq, a protester, said, “We are facing an acute shortage of drinking water supply. The authorities have turned a deaf ear to our repeated pleas. They are making no effort to ease our difficulties.”
The authorities are facilitating water supply to Sopore town and have forgotten the villages which are nearer to the plant, he said.
The residents also accused the Jal Shakti Department of providing them with “raw water”. We have been left with no other option but to block roads, they said.
The protesters urged the administration to seriously look into the matter.
Meanwhile, an official at the Jal Shakti Department said that people are using excessive quantities of water amid ongoing heat waves. He said there are some illegal connections which is the reason for less water supply to some areas. “The squad has been directed to confiscate the illegal connections,” he said.
He said that the area is getting new pipelines under the JJM scheme which is going to be completed within two months. The people will not face any water scarcity issue anymore then, he said.
The official, however, denied raw water being supplied to the residents, saying they are getting the same water supply as Sopore town. “Once fresh pipes are laid, the issue will be resolved,” he added. (KNO)