“The claims of the Jal Shakti Department that water scarcity has not been worst enough to trigger water borne diseases are quite contrary to the ground realities in most parts of Kashmir Valley.”
The shortage of drinking water in peak heat wave period is not surprising and as such wisdom demands that Government keeps itself ready to meet any eventuality much before the arrival of peak heat wave periods. This year not only the water scarcity but the occurrence of jaundice like water borne disease also panicked people in several pockets of Kashmir Valley. True it is that the peak heat wave period has been very unprecedented this year and consequently the crisis of drinking water facility too has been unprecedented in both urban and rural pockets of Kashmir. The claims of the Jal Shakti Department that water scarcity has not been worst enough to trigger water borne diseases are quite contrary to the ground realities in most parts of Kashmir Valley. The reports about the outbreak of jaundice in Srigufwara area of South Kashmir’s Anantnag district and Pahnoo Village Shopian District were not unfortunately noticed well in time due to which the hapless populations were panicked for some time. Much before the occurrence of jaundice in Srigufwara of Anantnag district and Pahloo village of Shopian district the reports about violent protests against water scarcity in several parts of North Kashmir woke up the authorities from deep slumber. The ground realities show that Jal Shakti Department had not plugged the existing gapes in the water distribution system and consequently had to make some adhoc arrangement for supply of drinking water to cool down the rising tempers of people in some areas of Kashmir Valley which were severely hit by water scarcity in peak heat wave period. Unfortunately in the process of arranging drinking water for areas which were hit by water scarcity the authorities of Jal Shakti Department could not check the quality of water that was supplied to areas hit by water scarcity.
“While water testing facility is as good a hard pressed concern as is the availability of drinking water itself, both the availability of drinking water facility and as well as the water testing facilities deserve and and demand an equal attention and intervention of the Jal Shakti Department for preventing the occurrence and reoccurrence of jaundice like water borne diseases in both semi urban and as well as rural pockets of Kashmir Valley.”
So it is time for the Jal Shakti Department to draw lessons from this year’s experiences of water scarcity in semi urban and rural pockets of Kashmir Valley. While improvement in water distribution system in the areas vulnerable to water scarcity deserves and demands immediate attention and intervention of the Jal Shakti Department in semi urban and rural parts of Kashmir, the functioning of water testing facilities at divisional and sub divisional headquarters of Jal Shakti Department deserve and demand an equal attention for the purposes of preventing the occurrence of jaundice like water borne disease in the areas declared vulnerable to water scarcity in peak heat wave period. While water testing facility is as good a hard pressed concern as is the availability of drinking water itself, both the availability of drinking water facility and as well as the water testing facilities deserve and and demand an equal attention and intervention of the Jal Shakti Department for preventing the occurrence and reoccurrence of jaundice like water borne diseases in both semi urban and as well as rural pockets of Kashmir Valley.
