by Maleeha Sofi
SRINAGAR: The Sheikh Colony Nowhatta is facing an acute shortage in water supply leaving locals high and dry in the mornings when they need to get ready and go out for work.
The locality in the heart of Srinagar has residents strolling miles for fetching water in the morning as well as in the evening.
The area gets water supply only when there is no electricity because the electric water-fetching motors of adjacent localities become dysfunctional.
Shaheen, a local woman working as a housekeeper said, “There are frequent number of power cuts in winters because of which we get timely water supply. Winters which trouble the rest of the people in the valley are a blessing for us. During summers, there are very less power cuts, so we have to go to Bahu-ud-din Sahab to fetch water.”
She said, “The President of the locality who lives ahead of us gets uninterrupted water supply. The houses ahead of the President’s house also get good supply but we are left without water because we live behind his (President’s) house.”
Due to the lack of water supply, the locals say they feel elated when electricity is cut off unlike in other areas where people are agitated due to curtailment.
Also, the locals have to climb up the Hari Parbat to fix the blocked pipes in order to streamline the supply to their area.
The locals mainly employed in sweeping, cleaning and vending jobs opine that they need continuous water supply more than any other area because of their job profile.
Muhammad Yousuf Naik, Assistant Executive Engineer Jal Shakti Department Nowhatta said, “There were some issues in the past which have been solved a couple of days ago.”
