Protests in north Kashmir over drinking water shortage

Baramulla, July 25: The drinking water crisis across north Kashmir’s Baramulla district shows no sign of receding, forcing people to stage protests against the potable water scarcity.

Although most parts of the Baramulla district are experiencing a drinking water crisis, however, in some areas the drinking water crisis has severely intensified for the past week with residents struggling to get even a single drop of water.

The residents of Kanispora Baramulla on Thursday staged a protest on the Srinagar-Baramulla highway against the potable water crisis and stopped vehicular movement for a brief time.

The aggrieved residents were demanding immediate restoration of potable water.

The protesters said that the area was without drinking water for the last several weeks and people were facing severe hardships.

“Amid scorching heat, we are striving for water supply,” said Firdous Ahmad, a local. “The crisis intensified to such a point that for days together we haven’t been able to even take a bath. The authorities are unable to handle the water crisis which has badly affected the household here.”

In the Delina area of Baramulla district, the water crisis has taken a toll on the locals.

The area has been facing a severe water crisis for the past two weeks.

The locals here said that their paddy fields have turned barren and there are chances of a 70 percent deficit in rice production this year due to the failure of the authorities to supply water to the paddy fields.

“Now we are struggling for even a single drop of water,” they said.

Ghulam Ahmad Dar of Batpora Delina said, “We have never witnessed such a water crisis in our life. For the last two weeks, we have been without drinking water. The authorities have been assuring us of immediate restoration of drinking water but to date, all assurances have turned untrue.”

Following the worsening drinking water crisis many protest demonstrations have been held during the past week over the issue.

In Chenbal, Pattan, a recent drinking water protest turned violent in which policemen and civilians were injured in the clashes.

The Chenbal protest was followed by another protest at Mirgund Pattan on Tuesday, in which scores of aggrieved residents blocked the Srinagar-Baramulla highway in favour of their demand for drinking water supply to the area.

Following multiple protests against the water scarcity, Police in Pattan urged the residents not to block the highways or take the law into their own hands.

In a joint meeting with SDM Pattan, Gulzar Ahmad and other officials, the SDM assured the aggrieved residents that their grievances would be addressed promptly and water tankers would be deployed on a roaster basis to mitigate the crisis wherever there is one.

The main town Baramulla is also witnessing the drinking water crisis.

The locals here complained that tap water was being provided for a brief time of an hour that too alternatively or even after a three-day interval.