Mubashir Alam Wani
Srinagar, Feb 16: Scores of residents mostly women from Alochi Bagh Srinagar on Friday protested against the “non-availability” of potable water supply in their area.
The agitated protestors said that despite paying their usage charge on time, they are facing water scarcity issues in their area from a long time now.
“It has been months now we are facing water scarcity issues and nobody in the PHE department is bothered. How can we live without water. PHE department is not listening to us”, the protestors said.
The agitated protestors accused the PHE department of not even sending the water supply tankers in their area, saying that even far flung areas are getting facilities, they are deprived of even adequate water supply.
A senior official from the Jal Shakti PHE department Kashmir said that the water supply in the particular area is being maintained in “Shifts”, due to the low water charge in the water bodies.
“It is not like there is no supply in that area, but due to the low water charge in water bodies, supply is being maintained in shifts”, the official said.
The official also said that they have proposal in line up for which they are discussing modalities to augment the water supply in that area, and that is likely to happen by March with a likely supply arrangement through a different connection.
It is pertinent to note that in the aftermath of prolonged dry spell, several areas in the valley complained of a shortage in water supply in their areas.
The officials had previously expressed concern over several water bodies experiencing a partial drying effect, creating a potential threat to the water supply.
Officials earlier stated that due to prolonged dry spell in the valley, 20 percent of the portable water supply had got “badly affected” in the region.
