State again stares at water scarcity

Sumit Hakhoo
Tribune News Service
Jammu, May 28

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Despite Jammu and Kashmir receiving above normal snowfall and rains, the state is facing a water crisis every summer as expanding human population and developmental projects are putting pressure on the catchment areas.

Senior officers in the public health engineering (PHE) department revealed that infrastructure remained under-utilised in the major towns of Jammu and Srinagar, hamlets spread across the Shivalik range, the Kandi belt, mountainous towns and border districts. Due to this, more than three million people have been left without any regular water supply.

Deep aquifers deplete as temperature soars. Officials said normally water was available at the depth of 300 ft to 600 ft, but they were not getting recharged adequately, forcing the PHE department to dig deeper. The massive ecological destruction due to the four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar highway and other roads has also destroyedthe traditional springs.

“Despite a massive investment in digging tubewells and laying distribution network under various schemes, the projects are functioning below capacity. Decline in the glacier-fed springs and rivulets is a concern forall,” said a senior officer in the PHE department.

According to data, the urban population in the state (excluding Jammu and Srinagar) was about 14.48 lakh requiring 74.80 million gallon daily (MGD) water. The installed capacity of 33.78 MGD leaves a deficit of 41.02 MGD. Similarly, the rural areas with a population of about 91.08 lakh are facing a deficit of 55.59 MGD.

“We face problems in the Kandi belt, especially in Kathua, Samba and Udhampur, during the summer. The government has planned to invest in deep underground wells to meet future requirements. There are natural causes for the depletion of water sources also,” said AK Gandotra, Chief Engineer, PHE, Jammu.

The situation in border districts of Rajouri and Poonch is even worse as natural springs have vanished. Even senior officers of the PHE department admitted that despite sufficient rains and snow in higher reaches this time, the situation had not improved.

“In Rajouri and Poonch, a majority of the water supply schemes are lying defunct due to the unplanned implementation of the projects. The schemes are planned without a scientific approach, leaving the projects useless within a short span of time,” said Sehzad Malik, a social activist based in Mendhar.

In the erstwhile Doda district comprising Ramban, Doda and Kishtwar, potable water is not sufficiently available. The fact was even admitted by the previous PDP-BJP government in the Assembly.