ANANTNAG, DEC 16: Inhabitants of Chak Kamad village in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district recently experienced the joy of receiving potable water for the first time since Independence.
The absence of clean water had compelled villagers to fetch water from contaminated streams.
A significant initiative by the J & K government, involving the installation of pipes, brought relief to around 1000 residents.
Mohammad Akbar, a 70-year-old resident of the village said till last month, he had never seen potable water throughout his life.
He said people had to walk hundreds of metres to fetch water from the spring and the exercise was becoming troublesome for women.
“We used to fetch contaminated water from a stream which always posed a threat of diseases. Last month, this village received potable water and has brought a huge relief to people. We don’t know why the government earlier did not lay out the water pipes in this village through which we could have received the clean water,” he said.
Khurshid Ahmad, a 45-year-old villager said the Chak Kamad village is just four kilometres away from Anantnag town but was kept without potable water over the last 70 years.
“Earlier we used to fetch contaminated water from streams which were always posing a threat of waterborne diseases. We had to walk over 500 meters to wash clothes and fetch water for drinking and bathing purposes. However, we are thankful to the government for providing us with potable water and bringing a huge relief to people here. We can now at least take a daily bath and drink clean water,” he said.
A senior official of J&K’s Jal Shakti Department said potable water was a demand from Chak Kamad for decades. “We laid down the pipes and since last month they have been receiving potable water. The project cost Rs 1 crore to the government,” he said.
