Handwara residents protest against drinking water shortage

Kupwara, Jun 2: The residents of ward number 13 in Braripora, Handwara area of north Kashmirís Kupwara district Monday staged a protest over the persistent lack of clean drinking water in the area.

The protestors both men and women assembled near Darul Uloom to express frustration over the authoritiesí failure to address the issue despite repeated complaints. The protesting residents said that they were facing tremendous hardships due to the non-availability of water for the past several months.

We are being deprived of drinking water. The department has miserably failed to provide us drinking water, said a woman protester.

The protestors said that the concerned department had taken them for a ride, forcing them to register their protest. "We have registered our protests numerous times in the past too but nothing was done to mitigate our problems.

According to protesters, a pipeline was laid to provide water supply to the village, but that was soon damaged, resulting in serious water disruptions. They said that the damaged pipeline was supplying contaminated water to the area, posing a significant health risk to the community. "We have been suffering for months, and despite approaching the authorities numerous times, nothing concrete has been done so far in this regard to mitigate our problem," said another protestor.

The residents have urged higher authorities to intervene and ensure immediate restoration of clean drinking water to the area, so that their hardships may end.