Kashmir, December 29, 2022
Just like the famous line, ‘water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink’, in Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem, ‘The Rime of the Ancient Mariner’, water is available everywhere in Kashmir but is suspended in the form of snow, which inturn congeals life everywhere.
Kashmir is freezing and this has resulted in severe water crisis in parts of city and villages of the valley. Frozen taps and overground water pipes are forcing the local residents to travel long distances in search of potable water.
Plummeting temperature is leading to the freezing of lakes, water supply lines, taps, water tanks, and motors.
The worst affected are the people living in the villages of Kashmir region, where the temperature goes downs to sub-zero levels in the night. In many districts of the valley, the temperature was recorded -12 and -10 degree Celsius respectively.
The people who lives in hinterlands of the region and who are mostly farmers and cattle rearers have been forced to trek the snow-bound treacherous terrain in groups in search of water. According to reports, they have been boiling snow to get water for daily use.
The officials insist that there is no shortage of water but the problem is arising due to the freezing of water supply lines. They say the supply lines are jammed at some places due to sub-zero temperature.
The water shortage has become a global concern. With each passing year, the level of drinking water in the world is continuously decreasing due to the effects of dry weather, indiscriminate cutting of trees, environmental pollution, and population increase, according to experts.
