(Meeting Water Scarcity Challenges In Kashmir )
Rameez Makhdoomi/ Farzana Mumtaz
As 1.2 billion people live in areas of water scarcity, Inhabitants of several areas of Kashmir are facing acute water shortage from past several years now . Pertinently, once water resource rich Kashmir owing to depleting resources due to havoc played with environment and other factors has to now crave for a drop of water especially during summers.
But Kashmir’s own organization Mother HelpAge is coming to rescue and showing the way in this regard. Over the past few years the organization has made tremendous strides to help people in water scarce areas by digging wells for them and imbibing in them water saving skills.
As a matter of fact, Mother Helpage was established in 1994, after the death of Mrs Jamilah Gul Nasti, the mother of Dr. Sohail Nasti (the founder of Mother Helpage Worldwide). During its early years, the foundation operated in Indian administered Kashmir where from the Nasti family originally belongs.
Coming back to topic the Mother Helpage under its project Safe Water has been able to set up to supply safe water in Kashmir and Jammu by supplying safe water filters in community centres, delivering 16,000 litres of safe water via tankers, and installing wells which can cater for a full village of 100 families.
In past two years alone hundreds of households along with scores of villages have been provided with wells by Mother Helpage. From Kulgam to Shopian and Tral to Anantnag wide areas have been covered.
In support of the UN Sustainable Development Goals , Mother HelpAge aims to install 3,000 wells at the end of 2020, providing clean and safe drinking water thus to over 650,000 populace in Jammu and Kashmir.
Considering the fact that Groundwater is a very vital source of water for the people worldwide. According to the statistics, listed on the website of the Central ground water board, J&K has 2.70 BCM(Billion Cubic Meters). And the net Annual Ground Water Availability is 2.43 BCM. The rational voices are calling on Government all stake holders to tap this vital groundwater potential and have in this regard lauded Mother HelpAge in helping constructing wells.
Statistics speak for themselves.
Ali Mohammad, a farmer said, “It is a well known fact that water is life. Groundwater is used for drinking water by more than 50 percent of the people in the globe, including almost everyone who lives in rural areas. We applaud Mother Helpage for not only providing filters in number of areas but also constructing hundreds of wells so that people get reprieve. It has been a evolutionary step from the organization.”
Certainly, Mother Helpage is leading the way to safeguard Kashmir from scarcity of water in present and future.