A permanent solution to the problem of drinking water shortage in a number of areas in Jammu and Kashmir in summer is yet to be found out.
The taps in the households run dry in these areas during the season and people suffer enormously there.
The reports of drinking water scarcity keep on pouring from different areas from time to time.
Be it some areas of Down Town and Civil Lines in Srinagar, Ganderbal and other places in central, north and south Kashmir, the water crisis is there.
Even the picture is not that good in several Jammu areas also.
While efforts are underway to provide safe and sufficient drinking water through individual household tap connections to all households in rural areas under Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), measure should be also taken up to improve the water supply in urban areas and to put to an end the water shortage in summer.
The pace of work is not on expected lines on Jal Jeevan Mission front particularly in Jammu.
The government had to suspend a Chief Engineer of Jal Shakti ( Earlier, PHE) Department in Jammu for his low performance last month.
The Standing Committee on Water Resources comprising 29 members of Parliament in its report had pointed out poor utilisation of funds released to J&K by the Union Government during the financial year 2021-2022 under Jal Jeevan Mission.
The report was tabled in both the houses of the Parliament. The Union Government has allocated a sum of over Rs 9289 crore to Jammu and Kashmir under Jal Jeevan Mission 2022-2023.
On August 15, 2019, the Government of India had launched JJM with an aim to provide safe and adequate drinking water through individual household tap connections by 2024 to all households in rural India.
However, the Jammu and Kashmir Government had decided to advance the target to September, 2022 instead of 2024. Poor utilisation of funds and other related problems created hurdles.
According to government figures, there are 18.35 lakh rural households in J&K. According to officials, Srinagar and Ganderbal districts have already achieved the target of 100 percent households with tap water connections.
That is a positive development but ensuring sufficient water supply is equally important. Only then can the problem of drinking water scarcity be solved.