By Raqib Hameed Naik, TwoCircles.net
Srinagar: The move of US-based Indian Muslim Relief and Charities (IMRC) to install 50 tube-wells across different villages and mohallas in Sumbal Sonawari belt of North Kashmir to provide clean water have brought cheers among the local villagers, who were suffering from serious risks of dehydration and water borne diseases.
IMRC undertook initiative to install tube-wells after two teenage girls from New Jersey and Boston (USA) – Marwa Abdulhai (17) and Yusra Syed (15)—noticed the appalling conditions of the villagers, even a year after the devastating floods, when they came to the village as a part of IMRC’s summer volunteer program.
The volunteers have identified 50 different villages and mohallahs in Submal – Sonawari belt in Bandipora district, where the water source has been tested to contain harmful chemicals.
“Many families are unable to access clean drinking water and thus use the same dirty flood water for cleaning, drinking, and cooking. One young mother related to them {volunteers} that they drink water only when they were in dire need, and thus suffered from dehydration and water-borne diseases,” IMRC writes about the water project on its website.
As of now five out of 50 tube wells have been installed in five Mohallas viz Bathipora, Dehabad, Sadat Mohallah, Gulshan Abad, Batkoo Mohallah in Village Zalpora in Sumbal-Sonawri Belt.
“The Sumbal-Sonwari belt was badly hit during last year floods. We used to get reports of dehydration and water borne diseases among local populace. The villages in that belt use a common water channel, Feroz Pur Nallah for different purposes like drinking, cooking and washing. While tracing back its origin, we came to know that this river channel flows through Bones and Joint Hospital in Srinagar which dumps most of its Biomedical wastes into it which causes various water-borne diseases among the villagers,” Syed Tabassum Geelani, IMRC volunteer Kashmir briefed Twocircles.net about the project.
He further says, “The villagers, mostly women, had to cover three to four kilometers to fetch water which was taking a toll on their health, besides leaving them injured at times which was a very serious concern besides the quality of water. We have identified 50 areas in the whole Sumbal Sonawari belt and five tube wells have been already build,” he added
IMRC tube well project in Kashmir is supposed to benefit 20, 720 people from 2, 590 households below the poverty line The locals expressed happiness at the project.
“We were badly suffering because we had to fetch water from Nallah which is 2 and half kms from my home. The quality of the water from Nallah, from where we used to fetch water, was extremely bad. But Thanks to IMRC USA that we are now able to get clean water after the installation of tube wells,” Shahbaz Hussain, 40, a teacher told TwoCircles.net.
For Abdul Rashid, 52, the installation of Tube well is like an old age gift for him as he and his wife were facing difficulty in fetching water from river which at three kms distance from their home.
“Now we can get water from Tube well which is installed at a distance of 20 meters. May Allah bless them who have installed these Tube wells,’’ he said.