Residents of Shopian villages complain of contaminated water

The residents of Tangwani, Wathoo and Daramdora villages in south Kashmir’s Shopian district are aghast over the unsafe drinking water supplied to them. The residents said that they are receiving the contaminated piped water, which is unfit for consumption.

According to the residents, water pipes are laid into a stream and they are fed with unfiltered water.

Bashir Ahmad, a resident, told Greater Kashmir that some residents installed water purifiers in their homes to make the water potable. He said that a threat of water borne disease looms large over the area.

"The water is not even safe for doing laundry, let alone consumption", said another resident.

In the beginning of this year, a jaundice outbreak was reported from Pahnoo, Woterpora and Pehlipora villages creating panic among the residents. The residents said that a filtration plant was under construction in Ganowpara village with a scheduled completion by June this year, but the construction was halted halfway through. An official said that the construction work on the filtration had not been stalled.

“The construction work is going on and it will be completed very soon”, said the official . He, however, said that presently the villages were supplied with water from the springs.