Basic amenities remain elusive in IIOJK as Kupwara villagers protest decade-long water crisis
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), residents of Kasta Khumriyal village in Lolab area of Kupwara district staged a protest against the authorities’ failure to ensure a regular drinking water supply, saying the crisis had persisted for nearly a decade.
The protesters, including women and children, carried placards and raised slogans, saying they were forced to fetch water from distant sources to meet their daily needs. The demonstration also briefly disrupted traffic.
“Nearly ten years have passed, but we are still struggling for something as basic as drinking water. We have approached the concerned department several times, but the problem continues,” a protesting woman said.
Another protester said residents had lost patience with repeated assurances from the authorities. “We do not want promises anymore. We want a proper and dependable water supply system in our village,” she said.
The protesters said the concerned department had failed to address the issue despite repeated representations and warned that they would intensify their agitation if the water crisis was not resolved at the earliest.
The protest over access to safe drinking water has once again exposed the gap between official development claims in IIOJK following the revocation of the territory’s special status in August 2019 and the harsh realities faced by its residents. The continued deprivation of even basic necessities underscores the failure of the occupation authorities to address people’s fundamental needs, forcing Kashmiris to repeatedly take to the streets to demand essential services.
