Srinagar, Mar 3: Residents of Garkote village in Uri area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district have expressed strong resentment against the Jal Shakti Department over the construction of a new water supply scheme, alleging that the project is unplanned and could deprive hundreds of kanals of agricultural land of irrigation.
According to locals, the Jal Shakti Department in Uri is executing a new water supply scheme under the AMRUT programme for the Lagama and Bandi areas. For the project, water is being drawn from Nambla nallah. A filtration plant is also being set up near Lagama village, and pipelines are being laid to facilitate the scheme.
However, farmers in Garkote have opposed the move, fearing that diversion of water from the nallah will severely affect irrigation to their paddy fields.
“The department is laying pipes from the nallah through the irrigation canal, which is a vital source of water for our fields. This will damage the canal and disrupt irrigation,” a delegation of farmers told Rising Kashmir.
They said they had already informed the department not to draw water from Nambla nallah, warning that it would leave hundreds of kanals of agricultural land without irrigation and render the fields barren.
“Six-inch pipes are being laid, and most of the nallah’s water is being diverted to the project. What will remain for irrigation?” asked Abdul Majeed, a local farmer.
The farmers alleged that water is being diverted from Nambla nallah to benefit the contractor. They further claimed that pipelines are being laid through the roadside drain along the Lagama-Garkote road, which has damaged the condition of the stretch.
According to them, the department had initially planned to source water for the Lagama-Bandi scheme from the Kutroe area of Machikrand village, but the proposal was dropped for unknown reasons. They said that had the scheme been implemented from Machikrand nallah, it would also have benefited the nearby Dayar area, which has now been excluded from the new scheme.
“Several other water schemes have already been constructed from Nambla nallah. We fail to understand why the department continues to rely only on this source. The new scheme could have been taken up from Machikrand nallah instead,” the farmers said.
They recalled that a similar scheme was approved for Lagama in 2005 but was halted by Garkote residents before completion as it allegedly threatened irrigation supply at that time as well.
The farmers warned that they would not allow the present scheme to be completed if their concerns are not addressed. “We will approach the court if needed. Every time a new water scheme is introduced, public money is wasted. The government must take the matter seriously,” they said.
Meanwhile, Executive Engineer, PHE, I&FC Sub-Division Uri, Mohd Amin Mir, said the department would ensure that irrigation is not affected.
“The engineers who conducted the assessment have examined the matter thoroughly. New schemes are necessary to ensure water supply to all areas, and the department will not allow farmers’ irrigation to suffer,” he said.
Regarding the alleged damage to the Lagama-Garkote road, Executive Engineer PMGSY Sub-Division Uri, Sajjad Hussain Shah, denied the claims.
“The concerned department has not damaged any road. They have been granted permission to lay the pipelines. We cannot stop a public water supply project without valid reasons,” he said.
