People in Kandi belt facing more hardships
Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, May 21: As soaring temperature continues to grip the Jammu region, several areas are facing acute scarcity of drinking water, leaving the residents grappling with immense hardships amid the intensified summer heat.
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Depleting water sources, erratic power supply schedule and rising demand have compounded the crisis, forcing the people in many localities to depend on water tankers as an alternative source to meet their daily needs. The worsening situation has sparked concern among residents, who are urging the authorities for immediate and effective measures to ensure regular water supply and mitigate the growing distress caused by the prolonged dry spell and rising mercury levels.
Sources said not to talk of Kandi belt the water scarcity crisis has precipitated in some areas of Jammu city and its outskirts also resulting in public outcry since early this month after mercury soared suddenly.
The Jal Shakti Department holds low voltage, long duration and unscheduled power cuts the main reason for hampering water supply.
The Superintending Engineer, Jal Shakti, Hydraulic Circle Jammu, Sanjay Badhan admitted that not only the Kandi belt but various areas of city and its outskirts are facing water scarcity.
He said the problem is because of disruption in power supply. He said for pumping the Department needs 15 to 17 hours power which it does not get due to power curtailment with the result the water supply remains affected and people face problem.
He said the Department is taking measures to overcome the problem as it is in touch with PDD and also tankers are pressed in service to regulate the water supply in the areas which face enormous crisis. He expressed the hope that the problem will be settled within days.
However, the residents of Ward 65 including Barnai, Dharmal, Dina Nagar, Anuradha Puram, Sector 1 and Sector 2, Manhas Mohalla, Gurah Keran etc who are reeling under severe water crisis since early this month have a different story to tell. Mangat Ram Gupta, former Mandal president of BJP and a senior leader of the area took a dig at the Department saying seven tube wells have been constructed in Barnai area but people face water scarcity as the area is not being fed from these tube wells. Instead they are being supplied water from Dharmal tube well which can’t cater to the growing needs of the people in view of increasing population of the area.
He said from Barnai tube well near Ranbir Canal, the pipes were laid up to Mehra Guest House but not connected further. Nineteen pipes were brought to provide connection with the locality but later the work was abandoned with the result people are suffering and water scarcity persists.
Abhishekh Gupta, a social activist said the water from the tube wells of Barnai is supplied to other areas while people of locality are made to suffer. He said from early this month the water supply remains continuously disturbed in the area and sometimes it comes after a gap of three days, sometimes two days and sometimes even after four days and that too for a duration of half an hour.
Same is the problem in Bantalab, Kralbab Nagar, Ganga Nagar and Aadarsh Nagar where people are also facing acute water scarcity. According to Satish Khuda, acute water scarcity is being faced by the residents Aadarsh Nagar for over last one week. Despite the repeated pleas of the locals to ensure water supply to the locality form Kral Bab Nagar Pump Station, the area has been linked to pump stations of Poonch Colony and Patoli which have to cater to the needs of a huge area. So due to increasing demand on these tube wells and less supply, the people are suffering. One fails to understand what happened to much talked about Jal Jeevan Mission under which every household was promised to be provided safe drinking water, he asked.
The problem is no less even in Bharat Nagar Bantalab and Ganga Nagar or Kral Bab Nagar.
Residents of Durga Nagar and Dogra Nagar have been grappling with water crisis over the years and that despite construction of Pump House at Rajinder Nagar to exclusively supply drinking water to Durga Nagar, Dogra Nagar, Swaran Vihar and other adjoining localities the situation has not changed for the hapless people of the area who are still reeling under severe water crisis in this scorching heat, said Sanjay Ganjoo president of Welfare Committee Durga Nagar.
The water scarcity has also made lives of people miserable in Chinore near Kailash Dham where residents said that they get irregular and contaminated water supply. The water supply also remains erratic in Hari Om Mohalla, Roop Nagar as per residents.
The residents of Ram Krishan Vihar, Udaywala are without water supply for last three days and people said that for last over two weeks the supply remains often hampered in the area.
The situation is in no way better in Chhani Himmat where people too continue to face acute water scarcity since the onset of summer, said Gul Dev Raj, a local resident. He said nowadays water is supplied twice in a week which has added to the hardships of the people.
With water supply getting disturbed, the people in various water scarce areas are left with no alternative but to purchase tank water at exorbitant rates, said Bhagwan Singh, a local resident of the area.
The situation is more horrible in Kandi belt of Jammu, Samba , Kathua and Udhampur.
Anil Sharma, president All J&K Panchayat Conference alleged that majority of projects under much talked about Jal Jeevan Mission are non functional especially in Nagrota constituency where people are confronting acute water scarcity problem.
Most of these schemes on which crores of rupees were spent are either incomplete or have failed, he alleged.
He said overhead tanks, sump tanks, and filtration plants in many areas have leaked, cracked or are unused. The dug wells have turned dry at various places which is totally unfortunate.
He said Dansal block is worst hit and in Jindrah Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme has not become still operational with the result people face acute water scarcity.
The woes of the inhabitants of Udhampur district are also no less where in some areas of town people get water supply after four days while in rural belt people have to walk on foot up to two kilometres to fetch drinking water. In Kashra near Udhampur Airport, Jagano, Sher Marode, Majalta and Marode people face acute water scarcity, said Balwan Chand , Rakesh Sharma, Ganesh Singh and Puran Singh, the residents of these localities.
They said Dunvah is a total dry area and in Jhad (Londna) water supply pipes have got damaged over a month back but they have not been repaired with the result people face acute water scarcity. The Batal Balian people are warning protest in case the problem persists, said Pawan Khajuria, a senior political leader.
The condition in Kandi belt of Bani and Billawar of Kathua district is also worst. Moti Ram Sharma, a local resident said that people are fed up with the Department as their all hopes that they will get clean and regular drinking water after the Jal Jeevan Mission is commissioned have been belied. He said reservoirs are dry and people are dependent in this hilly belt on traditional system of water source like Bowlies and springs or streams.
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