Adil Nazir
Sopore, Jun 10 : National Conference MLA Irshad Rasool Kar on Wednesday flagged the deployment of two water tankers for Sopore town, even as he blamed the absence of any major drinking water project in the last three decades for the recurring summer crisis.
The legislator flagged the two tankers as an immediate stop-gap measure, saying they were procured from the district mining fund on the initiative of the Deputy Commissioner.
“Two tankers have been procured from the district mining fund. The current water tanker capacity has reached nearly 30,000 litres. The PHE minister has promised additional tankers in the coming weeks,” Kar told media.
Flagging the gaps in the existing system, the MLA said the PHE division had “crossed Sopore” and that no new projects had been commissioned in the last 30 years.
“The shortfall will not end in a year or two,” he said, flagging delays in the launch of the AMRUT scheme as a key reason.
As part of a long-term fix, Kar said 100-120 km of pipelines will be laid under AMRUT within the next 2-3 months to replace the ageing network. He expressed hope that Jal Jeevan Mission and AMRUT, once completed, would resolve the issue.
Referring to recent protests over water scarcity, the MLA flagged that residents have installed direct booster motors and sumps due to the lack of a proper network — a practice that prevents water from reaching tail-end areas.
“The department is technically right, and people are also right. People need drinking water. These issues will persist until we have a proper setup,” he said.
