Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Feb 7: Residents of Doabgah village in the Sopore area of Baramulla district today alleged that the Jal Shakti Department is providing them with untreated water, leading to a surge in waterborne diseases, especially among vulnerable groups like children and the elderly.
Locals said that the water sourced from the Doabgah Achabal water supply scheme is unfit for consumption due to contamination stemming from a nearby canal, which is laden with garbage and waste. This canal directly empties into the Jhelum River near the intake of the water supply scheme, compounding the issue.
Bilal Ahmad, a resident, stressed the pressing need for action, proposing that the scheme’s intake be extended to bypass the contaminated canal. He urged for measures to prevent the drainage from flowing into the river. “The input of this scheme should be extended so that it could cross the drain flowing inside the river so that they could get directly from the river without any contamination,” he said.
In response to these allegations, the Executive Engineer from the Jal Shakti Department, Aijaz Ahmad, said that water from all schemes in the district undergoes daily testing, with no detected contamination from the Doabgah Achabal scheme so far. “The old filtration plant is working according to needs, and the officials deployed there are regularly checking the water supplied to the population,” he said.
Furthermore, Ahmad mentioned the ongoing construction of a new filtration plant and an overhead tank to address the area’s water requirements. “A new filtration plant is also under construction near this old scheme, besides an overhead tank in the area that will suffice the need for water for this huge population. We will also look into the matter and ensure that people get pure drinking water,” he said.
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