By Imtiyaz Pandow
Budgam: Several villages of Beerwah area in central Kashmir’s Budgam district are being compelled to drink unfiltered and contaminated water supplied from nonfunctional reservoir constructed decades back in Chanapora village.
The villages effected include Danas Churamujra, Bohnut, Bagandar, Chanapora, Ramhuma, and Hukhlatri
Locals alleged that Public Health Engineering (PHE) department is supplying water of Karshan stream without any filtration or treatment to us due to due to which health issues in the area are increasing rapidly.
The inhabitants claimed that water borne diseases like Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Diarrhea, Skin Diseases are widespread in the area due to careless approach of PHE department.
“Despite complaints regarding the supplying of hazardous water concerned authorities are paying deaf ears to our grievances,” Mukhtar Ahmad, a local, said.
They claimed that PHE department had proposed for a filtration plant in the vicinity of these villages.
Parvez Ahmad, Junior Engineer (JE), PHE Beerwah, admitted that the water supplied from Chanapora reservoir is unfiltered ‘as there is no filtration plant installed at Chanapora reservior’.
“Manual bleaching is done to the water supplied from Chanapora reservoir and people are advised to boil water before drinking,” Ahmad said.
“We have already proposed for a filtration plant namely “Nabada Hunjigor Pethkont water scheme” under which 27 villages could be feed with filtered drinking water. As soon as scheme would be approved all the problems will be sorted out,” he claimed.