Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 29: Farmers in Kakapora and other neighbouring villages in Pulwama district staged a protest at Kakapora in Pulwama by blocking the main road against irrigation water shortage.
Over 200 farmers blocked the road at Kakapora and traffic was affected for about half-an-hour due to the protest.
“Most of the crops have started withering and it is the crucial period when the paddy starts bearing seed and the crops need water at any cost,” the farmers said.
Executive Engineer, Irrigation Department, Pulwama, Munu Karwal, said, “the water level in river Jehlum must be 7 feet; it is only 2 feet which cannot be pulled up by the water pumps. At least six villages are facing drought, among which one Wukhu village is badly hit by drought. Only a sufficient rainfall can assuage the problem,” Karwal said.
Meanwhile, just half a mile away from Kakapora, scores of residents from Karnabal village also took to streets and blocked the traffic at the Samboora road for hours in the morning.
They were protesting against shortage of drinking water which has forced them to endure hardship in getting adequate supply of water for their daily consumption.
Assistant Executive Engineer Public Health Engineering, Fida Hussain Rizvi, said the department is regularly supplying water tankers to the village, besides distribution through pipelines.
“We will take steps to improve the supply and sort out the problem,” Rizvi said.
Follow our WhatsApp channel