The Real Kashmir: Kulgam goes to the polls, seeking better water and a cleaner district
The challenges in Kulgam go beyond the usual narratives of terrorism and strife. But will its political contestants, including PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti, drop the hyperbole and look at the water supply?
Kulgam in Anantnag constituency that votes today is known to be among the better-developed districts in the state that has been torn apart by terrorist attacks and strife.
From road connectivity, healthcare to educational infrastructure, Kulgam has fared better than the other three districts of Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency — Anantnag, Shopian and Pulwama, with 16 Assembly segments.
However, the district has its fair share of troubles, ranging from ineffective disposal of waste and a lack of clean potable water. According to the locals, the district lacks proper waste disposal mechanisms and piles of unattended trash can be seen scattered by the roadsides. The lack of dry and wet waste disposal is proving to be a major health hazard.
“The entire town is strewn with piles of unattended garbage, making the whole area filthy. In the absence of proper dumping sites, roadsides and banks of the local stream are littered, posing the threat of diseases,” Bashir Ahmad, a local reportedly said.
Water Woes
Nallah Vishaw — which drains most of the northern part of Pir Panjal — is the main tributary of river Jhelum. This stream traverses through the Kulgam district and is the primary source of potable water in the region. However, with the lack of proper waste disposal mechanisms, garbage ends up being dumped in the Nallah, leaving it polluted and a breeding ground of diseases.
Further, residents in the district have been hassled by the shortage of potable water.
According to media reports, locals have accused the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department of supplying contaminated water. Reportedly, residents claimed that doctors in the area tested the water being supplied to the households — based on the laboratory results, the water contained more than the permissible quantities of sulphur and iron, which made it unfit for drinking. Furthermore, sewage and drains in the upper reaches of the district apparently drain into the water supply channels — the water is then provided to residents downstream, allegedly without proper filtration, leading to multiple outbreaks of waterborne diseases like gastroenteritis, diarrhoea and typhoid. The worst affected are vulnerable children and the elderly.
The woes do not end here.
No room in hospitals
During such outbreaks, Kulgam residents claim that the shortage of space in the District Hospital takes a toll on patient care. “The small rooms for OPDs are crowded and resultant congestion is a threat to infection", a resident reportedly said. They further add that the new hospital building that was planned to meet the space crunch is still incomplete.
Anantnag constituency elected People's Democratic Party supremo Mehbooba Mufti as the Lok Sabha MP in the past elections.
This time, in the fray, challenging the sitting MP Mehbooba Mufti are National Conference’s (JKNC) Hasnain Masoodi, Ghulam Ahmad Mir from the Congress and Sofi Youssef of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
The challenges of the elected representatives now go far beyond the usual narratives of terrorism and internal strife that have dominated the region for a long time. High-voltage issues should be kept aside and they must concentrate literally on Kulgam's ground beneath their feet, the lives of its ordinary people and the water they get to drink.