PHE expands reservoir connections; locals aghast
Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, May 28: While the residents of the Gutli Bagh area in Ganderbal district have been struggling with the availability of drinking water for years, the authorities are in the process of connecting more areas to the existing limited-capacity reservoir.
The residents said that they receive drinking water through lift irrigation, and after continuously lifting water from the stream for 16 hours, they get the supply for just one hour, which is insufficient to meet their needs.
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“The duration has now decreased to just 30 minutes. We have reached a point where we do not have enough drinking water, and yet they have laid more pipes under a new scheme to supply water to other areas,” said Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a resident.
The locals informed that while the irrigation wing is using a 12-inch pipe to lift water from the stream, the PHE Department is using a much smaller pipe, which does not lift enough water, compounded by the reservoir’s limited capacity.
“How is it possible that they will now add more areas when they are not able to provide enough drinking water to us? We are not against providing water supply to those areas, but we want our issue resolved first,” the residents said.
Another resident, Muhammad Toib Khan, said that they have been facing water scarcity issues since 1953, noting that since then, numerous officers, politicians, and ministers have visited the area, promising to resolve the issue, but to no avail.
“As of now, the concerned department is laying new pipes for more areas, but we are opposing it because the reservoir stores less water. If more areas are added, it will exacerbate the problems we are already facing,” he said.
“We demand that bigger motors be installed for lifting the water, and at the same time, an 8-inch pipe should be used so that more water is lifted at a time and the locality is provided with the necessary drinking water,” the residents said.
It is pertinent to mention that the issue of laying new pipes has now sparked tension between the communities. The locals have already contacted the authorities, urging for an immediate resolution of the matter, but they have yet to receive any response.
“We have repeatedly reached out to the authorities, but they are not addressing the matter, which is increasing the rift between the two communities. We have also apprised the concerned Executive Engineer about the issue, urging him to utilize the funds under the JJM and resolve the matter,” said Nisar Ahmad Khan, another resident.
The Executive Engineer could not be contacted for his comments on the issue.
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