J&K: Villagers pool funds for pipelines

Families say no household is connected to piped water supply

Bhaderwah (J&K), Jan. 24: Claiming neglect over the past seven decades, the villagers in remote Thanhala Panchayat in Jammu and Kashmir’s Doda district have set out on a mission this winter to bring potable water to their homes.

To fulfill their objective, the mostly below poverty line (BPL) families of the snow-bound village in the lap of mighty Ashapati Glacier got into a hurdle recently and decided to contribute `40,000 to purchase the required water pipes to get connected to the nearest water source. “We are living by the example of the proverb ‘God helps those who help themselves’ as the government had miserably failed to ensure tap water in our homes over the years. In the absence of the facility, we have to fetch water round-the-year from a nearby source even during this harsh winter and the lurking threat of avalanches,” a local resident Aijaz Ahmad said.

About 30 families live in the village bordering Chamba district of Himachal Pradesh, just 1.5 km from the interstate Bhaderwah-Chamba road. The villagers depend on the labour work in Bhaderwah town for a living. Despite ‘Har Ghar Nal Yojna’ under ‘Jal

Jeevan Mission’, villagers claim that none of the households are connected with the piped water supply. When contacted, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Bhaderwah, Rakesh Kumar said that providing potable water to every household is the priority of the government.

“The area being rich in natural water resources, I will take up the issue with the concerned department of ‘Jal Shakti Vibhag’ Bhaderwah to make temporary arrangements to provide piped water to the village in view of extreme cold wave conditions unless permanent gravity line is laid under Jal Jeevan Mission,” he said.

Talib Hussain, another resident, said they literally ran from pillar to post to get piped water supply but no one listened to their woes.

“Under these circumstances, we have no other option but to pool money from our daily wages to bring water to our homes,”he said.

BPL FAMILIES decided to contribute `40,000 to purchase required water pipes to get connected to the nearest water source.