Baramulla’s Delina residents face acute water crisis

Baramulla, May 23: The residents of Delina in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district are reeling under a severe water crisis, with both drinking water and irrigation supply severely disrupted. The situation has become critical as scorching heat intensifies across the Valley, prompting health advisories but leaving over 22,000 residents without even a drop of water.

Locals accuse the authorities of indifference, claiming that despite repeated requests, the concerned departments have failed to address the crisis. “In this intense heat, we are struggling to get even a single drop of water. The department remains unmoved by our suffering,” said Naseer Ahmad Dar, a resident of Delina.

The drinking water crisis began after two motor pumps reportedly burnt out, leading to a complete halt in water supply. The Jal Shakti Department in past has assured that a new water supply scheme under construction will resolve the issue, but residents say the situation needs immediate redressal.

The crisis extends beyond drinking water. Nearly 10,000 kanals of paddy land is on the verge of devastation due to lack of irrigation. “Our paddy seedlings are drying up. We depend entirely on our fields to meet our annual rice requirements. This is nothing short of a disaster,” said Haji Abdul Gaffar, a farmer from Delina. Frustrated residents say their repeated visits to the offices of the Irrigation and Flood Control Division have yielded no results.

The officials reportedly blamed the crisis on outdated lift irrigation equipment, claiming spare parts are no longer available locally and must be sourced from Delhi.

Executive Engineer of Irrigation and Flood Control Baramulla, Amitab Manhas, acknowledged the issue and said, "I will personally look into the matter. In some areas, irregular electricity supply is also affecting the functioning of the irrigation system. Sudden power cuts disrupt water flow, especially to tail-end villages,” he said.

Notably, last year too, the area witnessed huge problems after the irrigation water supply remained disrupted after the water canal at several places suffered damage following the construction of Delina flyover and the work on the under construction four lane project.

The locals have urged the administration to initiate the upgradation of the system so that overdated equipments are replaced by new one.