While the sweltering heat and rising intensity of humidity have made the lives of people miserable, unscheduled power cuts and water scarcity are the two increasing woes adding to the miseries of people in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. While power supply is better in Srinagar than towns and rural areas of Kashmir valley, the increasing water scarcity in not as intensifying in rural areas of valley as it is in Srinagar and urban parts of Kashmir valley. Unfortunately the water flow for irrigating the paddy fields is not as smooth as it should have been in mid summer months. While people are fuming over the increasing power cuts in mid-summer months in both Kashmir valley and as well as Jammu division, the sweltering heat heading for no dead end in Jammu & Kashmir is unlikely to reduce the increasing shortage of water in both rural and urban parts of Jammu & Kashmir in mid tourist season when the unprecedented surge in demand for drinking water forces the Jal Shaki department to rush water tankers for reducing the increasing demand for water even from the residential areas of both cities and towns. With no respite from the scorching heat wave, the people are facing a tough time in mid summer months. While the Power Development Department (PDD) blame the tripping of transformers and unregistered load in both residential colonies and commercial hubs of twin capital cities, major towns and most of the rural areas of both Kashmir valley and Jammu division, the people even in metered areas of twin capital cities and major towns are aghast over the long duration power cuts both in the morning and evening hours. The long duration power cuts are consequently affecting the drinking water distribution as special power lines connecting pumping stations have also got affected in several areas of Kashmir.
Strictly enforcing grievance redressal mechanisms by various service-providing departments locally for the people to register their complaints for early redressal could be one prompt way of mitigating the increasing water and power woes of the people in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Amid increasing intensity in power curtailment timings and intensifying water scarcity a holistic approach and management plan to overcome the intensifying power and water crisis is the only way to mitigate the sufferings of the people in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.
By no means short-term and adhoc strategies are sufficient enough to overcome the increasing power and water crisis across Jammu but a pragmatic plan for tackling the water and power issues is the only way to reduce the increasing sufferings of the people as heat wave can still persist for two more months in Kashmir valley. Strictly enforcing grievance redressal mechanisms by various service-providing departments locally for the people to register their complaints for early redressal could be one prompt way of mitigating the increasing water and power woes of the people in both Kashmir valley and Jammu division. Amid increasing intensity in power curtailment timings and intensifying water scarcity a holistic approach and management plan to overcome the intensifying power and water crisis is the only way to mitigate the sufferings of the people in both Kashmir Valley and as well as Jammu division.
