Tauseef Ahmad
BANDIPORA, Mar 30: The residents of Nowgam village of Bandipora district of North Kashmir have taken to the streets to protest against water scarcity in the area.
Scores of people, including women and children, halted traffic on the Nowgam-Sumbal road for several hours on Thursday morning, demanding adequate water supply in their village.
The villagers blocked the Z Pora Nowgam road, expressing their grievances that they have faced tremendous hardships due to the lack of water supply for the past three months.
Speaking with the reporters, one of the local residents, Nisar Ahmed, said that despite the authorities’ tall claims of making all arrangements for people during the holy month of Ramzan, the department has failed to provide drinking water to their area.
He added that the water scarcity has caused great inconvenience to them, and their kids are complaining of different ailments due to impure water. The residents have appealed to the concerned department and district administration to address their genuine issue and provide them with drinking water.
In response to the protest, officials from the Jal Shakti department in Sumbal assured that the water crisis would be redressed soon. They stated that water has already been supplied to the affected areas through water tankers on a routine basis. The residents have also appealed to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) Bandipora, Dr. Owais, to intervene and address their issue as soon as possible.
