Pulwama villagers rue lack of water supply scheme

PULWAMA, JULY 22: The residents of Uthoora village in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district are forced to drink contaminated water in absence of a proper water supply scheme. A group of residents

from the village told Greater Kashmir that they were being supplied the unfiltered and untreated water from a stream. “For the last many years, we drink the muddy water of the streams,”

they said. The residents said that the contaminated water had now begun taking a toll on their health with many water borne diseases gripping the village. In 2018, according to residents, an

eight-year-old boy died due to jaundice. Comprising over 200 households, the village is located barely three kilometres from district headquarter. An old water supply scheme, which fed the

village, failed and the government sanctioned a water supply scheme under Jal Jeevan Mission. “However, after the lapse of three years, the work on the new water supply is yet to be taken

up,” said Tariq Ahmad, a resident. He said that they approached the concerned authorities umpteen times, but to no avail. Ahmad said that the water to the village was being directly supplied

from a stream through pipes. “The village was earlier being fed from a spring, but after it almost dried up, direct water from the stream is supplied to the village”, he said. Wali Mohamad,

another resident said that their water taps spout out mud particularly during the rainy days. A senior official from Jal Shakti Department told Greater Kashmir that the water supply Scheme

was sanctioned under Jal Jeevan Mission and the work had been tendered out. “The work on the said scheme will be taken up soon and completed during this financial year only,” assured the

official.