Qaiser Dar
Srinagar 28 December (KNB): Water supply of Pohroo, Gangipora, Garipora, Kenihama and other adjacent villages of Srinagar district, has been severely hampered for months due to the tapping of illegal connections from the ‘Rising main’ of Pohroo.
Residents of Pohroo told Kashmir News Bureau that they have been facing severe water shortage for months and no one from the administration is sorting out the issue.
They said, “During this pandemic situation, where everyone should take care of their health and hygiene, likewise suggested by Health organizations around the world to wash hands for 20 seconds, we can’t even wash our hands and faces for once during the day cause there is no water running through our taps.”
They added that out of 24, only a few hours of water supply reaches their household.
A senior resident of the area told KNB that access to clean and drinkable water is our basic right, but our village (Pohroo) and other adjacent ones are facing severe shortage of drinkable water, which has been ignored by the administration for long now.
He further accused that an establishment in which Army and Police officials are residing, have taken an illegal water supply connection from the main pipeline, which has affected their water supply drastically.
Speaking to KNB Assistant Executive Engineer PHE Mechanical Rural sub division said that after receiving complaints we conducted an inspection and found out that illegal water connection from ‘Rising main’ of Pohroo 1st/2nd at check Pohroo near railway bridge, has been taken by Police and Army, which has drastically affected the pressure and net discharge at Pohroo stage second.
He further said that higher-ups were formally informed about it on 1st September 2020 and were requested to take action against it but so far nothing has been done.
He added that the concerned ‘water distribution department’ should have provided the connection legally to the establishment but since that was not done, they did it illegally and eventually our department (PHE mechanical department) had to bring the issue in the higher ups notice.
‘Rising Main’ is the pipe-line through which raw water gets supplied to the water treatment facility before directing it towards the household of several villages of the region. And the illegal connection has been taken on the said pipeline.
Despite several attempts by KNB to contact Chief Engineer PHE Srinagar Kashmir regarding the issue, he didn’t respond to the calls.
However, the inhabitants of the villages appealed to the concerned authorities to redress the issue and remove the illegal connection so that water supply is not hampered in the area. (KNB)