Adil Lateef
Srinagar, Aug 11: The residents of South Kashmir’s Shopian district today said that they are being supplied with unfiltered water by Public Health Engineering (PHE) Department leading to spread of water borne diseases in the area.
The main source of drinking water in Shopian is Rambi Ara stream on which there are several water supply schemes. However, there is no filtration plant and the residents are being supplied with unfiltered and impure water, the locals said.
There are 7 water reservoirs on the Rambi Ara and besides these reservoirs, water is being directly supplied through pipes without filtration.
The Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) Shopian and ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) leader, Advocate Mohammad Yousuf Bhat admitted that the people are being supplied with “extremely dirty” water.
The Lawmaker, however, blamed Mughal road for supply of impure water. He said: “As you know that Rambi Ara is the main source of water for Shopian district. But, it is Mughal road which is polluting this lone source of water with dust and clay due to traffic movement,” he said.
When asked that there are no filtration plants and the water is being directly supplied to people, Bhat said: “That is also a fact. Most of our filtration plants are defunct but some of them are functioning.”
Meanwhile, the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Shopian told Excelsior that though there is no alarming situation in the district vis-à-vis water borne diseases but his team is “alert” and is monitoring the situation 24 hours.
When contacted AEE, PHE, Veerji Pandita, said: “There are filtration plants on the Rambi Ara and they are very much functional.” When asked how then people are being supplied with impure water, he said: “It is due to cloud bursts that the water gets impure sometimes.”
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