At a place like Kashmir people protesting against the administration for not providing them drinking water is not just strange, but unimaginable. Kashmir is rich in water resource, and it is not just any one place in Kashmir that has these resources. Water bodies are spread all over the valley. It was in the recent past that people would directly collect water from a nearby water body, and this would be as pure as one can think of. But because of our wrong conduct we destroyed these water bodies, or polluted them beyond recognition. But in any case we do have this natural resource that after due filtration process can be supplied to all households. The question that arises is that if the resource is present what is the problem with lifting it, processing it, and finally supplying it to household consumers. It is a genuine question and those who are at the helm must answer this question.
We have a vast department tasked with supplying water, and there are dozens of schemes announced by the government to provide water to all. There is a need to identify the problem areas, and them focus on them, and fix the problem in its entirety. It is not for the first time that we have reports of people in a village, or a town, or even in the city protesting against the authorities. Every now and then people come out in the streets to bring the matter to notice. So this has become a perennial issue and there is a need for a long view on this problem. It is true that the department has to immediately find solution to the problems as and when, and where, they surface up, but that is not a sufficient response. A detailed mapping of the problems, and then a long term solution is the only way ahead. Water is not a luxury for which we can make people wait. It is a basic necessity, without which life is not possible.