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| Doda town reeling under water shortage | | | Early Times Report
Doda, Sept 3: Doda town is reeling under unprecedented water shortage adversely affected the health of its residents. Local residents are forced to buy unhygienic tanker water filled from Nallahs at exorbitant rates. "Due to the very irregular supply of fresh water, we are forced to buying stinky water from tankers which result in various health issues. My daughter was bedridden for months after consuming the filthy water supplied by the tankers" said a below home guard line resident, Atta ullah Bagwan.
The district is known for its abundant water resources but hundreds of residents are still deprived of basic water facilities due to the lackadaisical approach of the local Public Health Engineering (PHE) department.
"The department has spent crores on laying water supply pipes but usually they remain dry round the year and in some localities though water is supplied but for only 30-40 minutes, which is way less than sufficient," said another resident.
The district PHE department has spent crores on laying and distributing water supply lines across the town but the water scarcity in the localities reveals mismanagement at the end of the department. Some residents have even alleged department of misappropriating funds.
"Under SSMP UID scheme, the PHE was allocated around 28 crore rupees and recently they were given another 1.40 crore to provide water supply to new settlements, but they used this allocation to clear the balance of previous SSMP UID scheme, which they are not allowed to do under rules," said a contractor having the knowledge of the Department.
Bal Krishan who is serving as XEN to PHE department in Doda accepted that there is no scarcity of water resources in the district and said, "There is no water shortage in Doda town but we are yet to reach every household under the SSMP UID scheme."
But for local residents, the wait for water continues. |
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