Malshahi Bagh Canal Breach | No end to water shortage in city areas amid scorching heat

Scores of areas in the summer capital Srinagar Wednesday are reeling under acute shortage of water amid the scorching heat and pandemic.

Residents from different city areas including Chattabal, Habba Kadal, Fateh Kadal, Lal Chowk, Batamaloo, Khanyar, Bah-e-Ali Mardan Khan and Lal Bazar said the water shortage has grown acute for the past 10 to 12 days.

   

Inhabitants of Siddiq Colony, Awanta Bhavan said the existing supply line was not catering to the growing demands from the locality. “We have time and again requested authorities for shifting some of the connections to another supply line, but there has been no response from the department and as a result we continue to suffer,” said Suhail Ahmad, a local.

Inhabitants of the Downtown said the taps were running dry. Mushtaq Ahmad of Gadood Bagh, Habba Kadal said women in particular were finding it difficult to run their kitchen in wake of the water shortage.

He said the locals were not able to follow cleanliness guidelines for preventing spread of COVID19 due to water shortage.  “It is the responsibility of authorities to ensure restoration of proper water supply amid the pandemic,” he said.

Over two lakh households in Srinagar continue to suffer for want of potable water, following breach in Malshahi Bagh Canal which is the main source of drinking water to many Srinagar areas.

People from affected areas in Srinagar said the authorities seemed least bothered about repair work which could have eventually mitigated their sufferings.

Chief Engineer Jal Shakti department, Iftikhar Wani said he would look into the grievances for their redressal.

But there seems to be no end in the near future to water scarcity that hit thousands of households more than six months ago, following the breach in the Canal.

Officials had earlier said that the breach would be repaired by March end. But now, an official said that repairing of canal will be completed by August 15. “The repairing work will be completed by August 15,” said the Chief Engineer.

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