5-yrs on, residents await completion of water distribution scheme

Abandoned water supply scheme in Anantnag district. — Excelsior/Sajjad Dar
Abandoned water supply scheme in Anantnag district. — Excelsior/Sajjad Dar

Excelsior Correspondent

Srinagar, Feb 16: Reside-nts of Muniwar and the adjoining areas in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district are facing acute water scarcity for last five years as the construction work on the water distribution scheme has been left midway owing to non-availability of funds.
Locals said that the authorities are turning a blind eye towards this grave issue and are deliberately inflicting sufferings on the people by not providing them drinking water.
“The project has been lingering on for last five years. It was sanctioned in 2011 but has not served any purpose till now. We have been left at God’s mercy. What will we drink? The department sends water tankers but they fail to cater to our demands. We can only get one or two buckets of waters from the water tank. Will we use it for cooking or bathing?” Firdous Ahmad, a local said.
The locals explained that nearly eight villages including Dantar, Hanjidantar, B Shah and Sufipora are forced to drink untreated water of a local stream, which is taking a heavy toll on their health.
Assistant Executive Engineer Anantnag, Mukhtar Ahmad, when contacted said with an estimated cost of nearly Rs 76 lakh a water supply scheme was sanctioned to the Muniwar village but the lack of funds hampered the project. “The delay in the completion of the water supply scheme was due to non-availability of funds. The contractors who were assigned the job left the work in midway after they were not paid the pending bills”, he said.
“We have put the project under NABARD and hopefully, the construction work will be complete by the end of this year. Our department is putting in extreme efforts to deal with the water crisis in the area”, he added.

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