Srinagar: In a significant pushback against the central government, residents of Qazigund, located in the Islamabad district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, have launched protests over plans to divert their primary water source.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the government’s proposal involves constructing a pipeline that would channel water from a local spring, which is vital for both agriculture and drinking purposes across numerous villages. This spring sustains hundreds of kanals of agricultural land and provides essential water supplies to a vast area, especially critical during the six months of winter when other resources are scarce.
Community members, including local resident Bashir Ahmed, voiced concerns that this project would significantly reduce water availability, affecting irrigation and drinking needs. “The water discharge in the stream is not a lot, and the limited discharge the spring has is used by hundreds of villages for irrigational and drinking purposes,” Ahmed explained.
Protestors are worried that the pipeline could potentially deprive thousands of families of water, risking a food security crisis in the region. “If they go ahead with this project, we will have to beg for food. This is sheer injustice to us; we seek justice,” another local stated during the protests.
The community sees the pipeline initiative as an unwarranted and harmful interference in their lives, interpreting it as part of broader attempts to undermine their autonomy and well-being.