‘Water crisis becoming the cause of violent street protests has brought the district administration Baramulla particularly the Jal Shakti Department of the district into disrepute.”
The violent protests in Chainabal area in the neighbourhood of Pattan town on Srinagar-Baramulla highway this week show the irresponsible response of the Jal Shakti Department to the fears of water crisis triggered by the ongoing heat wave even in the villages that lie at a stone’s throw from Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Water crisis becoming the cause of violent street protests has brought the district administration Baramulla particularly the Jal Shakti Department of the district into disrepute. Not the incumbent Deputy Commissioner but his predecessors surely owe lot of explanations for the simmering water crisis in the villages lying at a stone’s throw from Srinagar-Baramulla highway. Unfortunately the water crisis broke the patience of the people in Chainabal Pattan and triggered violent street protests on the highway over which the daily movement of security force convoys, hospital ambulances and VVIP motorcades is an unavoidable compulsion for the Government. What matters the most is the fact that violent protests against the water crisis occurring barely a day after Youm-e-Ashura in a shia dominated Chainabal Pattan areas show that Jal Shakti Department had not made arrangements for hassle free water facility even during the days of Muharram processions in these areas. At least Jal Shakti Deparytment could have sent water tankers to the villages to cool down the rising tempers of the people against simmering water crisis in Chainabal and adjoining areas.
“While jaundice breaking out in Sirigufwara village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district shows the vulnerability of the people to water born diseases in the ongoing intensifying heat wave in Kashmir Valley, the Jal Shakti Department is yet to wake up from deep slumber to reduce the vulnerability of people to simmering water crisis in both urban and rural parts of Kashmir Valley. Situation demands that Jal Shati department sends water tankers to the water shortage hit areas, takes immediate measures to make defunct filtration plants functional and fast paces the work on incomplete water supply schemes to reduce the intensifying water crisis in view of the intensifying heat wave both in urban and rural areas of Kashmir Valley.”
Though protests triggered by the water crisis at Chainabal Pattan could have also disturbed movement of security force convoys, hospital ambulances and VVIP motorcades on Srinagar-Baramulla highway but the timing of the protests fortunately did not coincide with the timing of the movement of of security force convoys, hospital ambulances and VVIP motorcades on this highway. Administrative wisdom demands that public inconveniences don’t become a cause of inconvenience also for the movement of security force convoys, VVIP motorcades and hospital ambulances to two North Kashmir districts-Baramulla and Kuwara. Additionally the water crisis in villages on Srinagar-Baramulla highway is also an indication of the inaccessibility of the school students to portable water all along the highway. While jaundice breaking out in Sirigufwara village of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district shows the vulnerability of the people to water born diseases in the ongoing intensifying heat wave in Kashmir Valley, the Jal Shakti Department is yet to wake up from deep slumber to reduce the vulnerability of people to simmering water crisis in both urban and rural parts of Kashmir Valley. Situation demands that Jal Shati department sends water tankers to the water shortage hit areas, takes immediate measures to make defunct filtration plants functional and fast paces the work on incomplete water supply schemes to reduce the intensifying water crisis in view of the intensifying heat wave both in urban and rural areas of Kashmir Valley.
