Shopian: Residents of Chotipora Imamsahab village in south Kashmir’s Shopian district are facing an acute shortage of potable water for the past five years due to a damaged water pipeline in the area.
According to residents, the village comprising around 100 households has been reeling under an acute shortage of drinking water due to the leakage in water pipes.
They said that the pipeline was laid two decades ago and had not been replaced or repaired since then. They said that the drinking water to the area was being supplied from Malik Gund Water Reservoir, four kilometers away and the rusty pipeline carrying the water has got damaged at several places.
“Water is leaking from the pipeline at several places resulting in the wastage of a large amount of water,” said Javed Ahmad.
He said that they brought the issue to the notice of the authorities several times to no avail.
The residents said that they collect water in turns. “We take water on alternate days. Fifty percent of the households collect it on one day while the rest take it the next day,” he said.
They said that sometimes they collect contaminated water from the nearby streams and it could be the reason for the outbreak of diseases in the area. The district has witnessed an epidemic of hepatitis in a large area in the past.
Executive Engineer of Jal Shakti department (PHE) Irfan-ul-Islam told Kashmir Reader that the pipeline would be replaced soon. He said that the process of procurement of new pipes had already been started.
“The work is being carried out under the Jal Jeevan Mission component,” he said

Raashid Hassan