Tribune stories

Water shortage in Rajouri villages continues
Shariq Majeed
Tribune News Service

Rajouri, December 19
The state government may be planning to introduce e-governance in Jammu and Kashmir, but it has failed to provide clean drinking water to villages on the outskirts of this township. People living in villages near here have to suffer due to the acute shortage of drinking water supply.

Though the water supply department laid pipes in Choudhary Naad, Dhindiyaan, Gharisyan, Dhanore and Danidhar villages located in the vicinity of the town few years back, water is hardly supplied through these pipes and instead the department once in 4-5 days sends water tankers for the purpose.

Villagers complain that the water supply pipes serve no purpose as the department for several years now has failed to supply water.

“Instead of giving us regular water supply, the department supplies water in our village through tankers that too in insufficient quantity every 4-5 days,” complains Shamima Begum of Danidhar village.

“Since water is needed for every household activity ranging from drinking purpose to washing clothes and utensils, we are facing a lot of problems due to acute water shortage”.

The superintendent engineer of Rajouri division admits that these villages are facing water shortage. “I acknowledge that these villages are suffering due to the shortage of water. The department has proposed improvement of water supply to the town and its adjoining villages. A project costing Rs 31.70 crore is awaiting approval from the government,” he claims.

Even as the official did not give concrete reasons behind the situation, sources in the department divulge that these villages are supplied water through Ujjan water source, but people of villages near Ujjan keep pumping water, thus far off villages get less water supply.