South kashmir DIARY

Kulgam village residents melt snow to combat water crisis

People in remote Gandwani Jaibal village of Damhal Hanjipora area of south Kashmir’s Kulgam district are melting snow to combat the water crisis.

The locals said as the village was without a water supply, people had to tread quite a distance to fetch water from springs and streams.

“As the area is under a thick blanket of snow, people are finding it difficult to fetch water,” said Muhammad Sultan, an elderly villager.

He said at times they crave a single drop of water.

Locals said that they had been pleading with the officials of the Jal Shakti Department to address their issue but to no avail.

The locals sought the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Kulgam to address their woes.

Kokernag’s Gujar Basti residents seek road connectivity

The residents of remote GujarBasti hamlet of Larnoo in the Kokernag area of south Kashmir’s Anantnag district have to tread several kilometers to reach the main road.

They said that in absence of road connectivity they were forced to ferry expecting women and ailing people on cots to reach Larnoo.

“We have to walk several kilometers to even fetch eatables from the market,” said Haneef Khan of Rein village.

He said that the students were unable to reach schools and tuition centers on time.

The villagers of Arthur, Gundraman are confronting the same difficulties in absence of road connectivity.

They have sought the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Anantnag to connect the hamlet to the main road through a link road.

Anantnag town area residents demand a fire-proof mechanism

With no fire-proof mechanism in place, the old town areas of Anantnag are vulnerable to massive devastation during infernos.

Locals rue that several fire plugs were lying defunct in old town localities of Reshi Bazaar, CheeniChowk, Malkahnag, Sherpora, Kadipora, Bakshiabad, and Sarnal.

“These areas are highly congested and if a fire erupts anywhere it is likely to engulf the area within no time. So, the Fire and Emergency Service officials are expected to douse the flames immediately to prevent it from spreading,” said a pharmacist Aadil Ahmad from CheeniChowk.

He said that with no fireplugs available, it makes the job of firemen difficult.

“Luckily we have plenty of springs like ReshmolSahab spring, Malakhnag, Sunarpakhur, Gajnag, and Heemalnag which cover most of the old town localities,” said locals of Reshi Bazaar.

They said had fire plugs been functional, fire incidents would not cause so much damage.

“It takes time for firefighters to fix the pipes near springs and bring water from there for dousing flames. At times, during major infernos, the spring gets drained immediately,” said a shopkeeper Zahoor Ahmad whose shop was reduced to ashes during an inferno two years back.

“The fire plugs were installed 30 years back in the old town and they went defunct due to metallic work during these years. Very few fire plugs have been installed in the town since then,” locals said.

Khandipari village craves potable water

The residents of Khandipari and ReshiMohalla villages of the Harnag area in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district are forced to consume contaminated water as work on the approved water supply scheme has been halted.

The locals said that they had to rely on borewells for water supply.

“The water supply scheme approved some six years ago at the cost of Rs 9.55 crore is still incomplete,” said Ghulam Muhammad.

He said that though the work on the project was started, it was left midway.

Another resident Mushtaq Ahmad said that they had been pleading with the officials of the Jal Shakti Department to address their issue but to no avail.

The locals sought the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Anantnag.