Over 150 households without drinking water in Kupwara’s Kandi Khass

Kupwara, Jan 2: Residents of several villages in Kandi Khass area of north Kashmir’s Kupwara district have expressed strong resentment against the Jal Shakti Department for failing to provide them potable drinking water resulting in severe hardships to the inhabitants.

Residents of Kumar Mohalla, Waderpora, Khach Mohalla, Labo Mohalla complained that these villages were reeling under acute shortage of water for the past several years, but authorities have failed to take any tangible measure despite repeated pleas.

Residents said that due to non availability of tap water they are forced to use contaminated water from the local streams which always poses a threat to their life and in recent past several persons have fallen ill due to water borne diseases.

They said that even the wells and ponds have dried up in the area thereby multiplying hardships for locals.

"We have been moving from pillar to post to get this genuine demand redressed but to no avail," a local from Kumar Mohalla told Greater Kashmir.

District Development Council Member (DDC) Natnussa Advocate Zahoor Ahmad told Greater Kashmir that two new schemes under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) are being carried out for Kandi area to cope up with the water crisis. He said that the earlier scheme was damaged following which two bore wells were sanctioned worth 7 crore for Kandi A and Kandi B. "I am sure that the problem would get redressed after the schemes would be made functional," he added.

Meanwhile Assistant Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Department Division Ramhall, Zahoor Ahmad acknowledged the hardships being faced by the people. He said that two bore wells have been constructed in the area. "Unluckily one of the bore wells is oozing bad quality of water which is being monitored by the Mechanical Department. Hopefully the problem would be sorted out soon following which water would be served to the whole area," he added.