As temperatures continue to soar, water crisis is deepening amid allegations of misuse of portable water for irrigating vegetables and crops in absence of a proper regulatory mechanism by the Jal Shakti Department both in Srinagar and other parts of Kashmir valley. While bore wells can be used for irrigating vegetable gardens and standing crops, the people use portable water for irrigating their vegetables gardens and even crops in the open fields as the official Jal Shakti department don’t ask the domestic consumers to use bore well for irrigating their kitchen gardens in Srinagar City and major towns of Kashmir valley. So obviously regulation of the portable water supply by the Jal Shakti Department is to be blamed for the deepening water crisis in Kashmir valley. While hotels and shopping malls are being run inside the residential colonies in most of the parts of Srinagar city and major towns of Kashmir valley, the Jal Shakti Department is providing them portable water connections from the domestic supply lines in violation of rules and consequently the hassle free supply of water to the domestic consumers is badly hit both in Srinagar and major towns of Kashmir valley. This process of uneven distribution of portable water between the domestic and commercial consumers has to be segregated to ensure that commercial consumers are charged as per commercial tariff plans for portable water supply from commercial supply lines and domestic consumers are as per domestic tariff plans for portable water supply from domestic water supply lines. Though supply of portable water in Srinagar City is to be regulated by the Srinagar Municipal Corporation (SMC) which taken over the control of City Water Works Division recently but water crisis is deepening in Srinagar from the day SMC has taken over the control of City Water Works Division due to it’s failure in segregating the commercial and domestic supply lines. Before blaming the consumers for the mess the Government has to embark on a plan for segregating the commercial and domestic supply lines to end the misuse of portable water under domestic tariff plans by hotels, lodging houses, Schools, hospitals and transport terminals.
Be it Srinagar Municipal Corporation controlling the City Water Works Division or the Jal Shakti Department tasked the responsibility of portable water supply in other parts of Kashmir, the regulation of commercial and domestic supply lines separately is the only way out. With continuous supervision and inspection over the use of commercial supply lines for commercial purposes and domestic supply lines for domestic purpose the increasing water woes of the people can be reduced to the optimum level .
The day-to-day supervision of new upcoming commercial buildings is also the responsibility of the concerned authorities of the Jal Shakti Department and in case of Srinagar city the onus lies on the top brass of the Srinagar Municipal Corporation presently controlling city water works division. Be it Srinagar Municipal Corporation controlling the City Water Works Division or the Jal Shakti Department tasked the responsibility of portable water supply in other parts of Kashmir, the regulation of commercial and domestic supply lines separately is the only way out. With continuous supervision and inspection over the use of commercial supply lines for commercial purposes and domestic supply lines for domestic purpose the increasing water woes of the people can be reduced to the optimum level .
