Avtar Bhat
JAMMU, June 9: With temperature beating all time high record and mercury touching over 43 degrees, some parts of Jammu city, its suburbs as well as rural areas of erstwhile Doda district are facing severe water crisis for about a fortnight.
The situation has turned alarming in some parts of Jammu including old Janipur, Janipur Colony, Shant Nagar, High Court road area Bhawani Nagar, Anand Nagar Bohri and Bahu Fort falling in Ward Numbers 34, 35, 36, 41 and 47 of Jammu Municipality but the authorities are not paying any heed to defuse the crisis which has led to public resentment in this entire belt.
The residents of these localities said that despite taking up the issue with concerned authorities they failed to solve the problem which is compounding day by day and the people have been forced to purchase the water through tankers at an exorbitant rate. However, the people who are unable to purchase the water through tankers due to limited source of income are very hard pressed and the authorities are looking as a mute spectator to the problem.
The problem took worst turn after the City PHE Divisions were handed over to Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) last year as the Civic Body despite making tall claims of turning Jammu into a Smart City by giving it a complete face lift is even unable to supply the drinking water to the people despite charging the water tariff from the public.
It may be recalled that out of three PHE Divisions in Jammu, City Division number One and City Division Number two were handed over to Jammu Municipal Corporation.
The residents said that the Government is claiming to provide safe drinking water to all people by 2024 but the same seems to be distant dream in J&K where even the city areas are facing the water scarcity and no attention has been paid for years together to augment the water supply schemes constructed decades back.
The people in these localities said that earlier when water scarcity problem occurred, they would take up the issue with higher authorities of PHE and some via media was found to solve the issue. Even the tanker supply was provided in the areas hit by water crisis earlier but since the divisions were handed over to JMC no one pays heed to the people’s woes. They said the concerned engineers show helplessness on their part.
The residents of lane 12 Bhawani Nagar said that they are facing acute water crisis for a fortnight now. They said from the level of JE to Executive Engineer they met every officer but to no avail. They said even they took up the issue with local Corporator number of times but he too showed his helplessness.
The inhabitants of the area alleged that some people have been given 2.5 inch connections from main supply line coming from upper most area of Bhawani Nagar which has further added to water crisis in the area.
They said “It is heart wrenching to see that residents are crying hoarse for supply of water as they do not afford to have a shower in this scorching heat for want of water”.
Same has been the situation in other localities of Old Janipur, Indira Colony, Shant Nagar, High Court road, all areas falling under Ward 34, 35 and 36 besides Durga Nagar, Dogra Nagar, Buta Nagar locality, TRT Buta Nagar and Chinore, Upper Chinore and Laxmipuram.
SukhdevSingh Jamwal , former Sarpanch said in the localities of Chinore the water is supplied after a gap of three days and that too for some minutes only. He said despite taking up the issue with concerned authorities no improvement has been made in the supply.
Mayor JMC, Chander Mohan Gupta when contacted told Excelsior that major problem is because of Sithli and it has not been resolved earlier. Now JMC has taken steps to augment the Sithli plant and solar panels are being installed there. But it will take some time and the problem will be solved by next year.
Gupta said it is an old problem and every year it persists in Summer but earlier no attention was paid to address it.
Reports reaching here said that the people in the districts of Doda , Kishtwar and Ramban are also facing acute water crisis but the authorities are not looking into the issue.
Ajeet Bhagat, a local leader of the area has even sought the intervention of Lt Governor in the matter saying that 85 percent of people in the three districts are facing the water crisis during this summer.
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