Srinagar, Feb 27: Locals from Nishat, Brein and several downstream areas have rejected the claims made by the Public Health Engineering (PHE) department that the drinking water supplied from the Nishat Water Treatment Plant is safe. They reiterated the allegations that sewage-contaminated water from Dal Lake is being supplied to large parts of the city.
The reaction comes after Superintending Engineer, PHE, Anbreen Anjum said before a section of the media that the water currently being supplied from the Nishat plant is “absolutely safe for drinking” and there is no reason to worry.
However, residents from the area said that a substantial portion of Srinagar’s daily requirement of 19 million gallons per day (MGD) is being lifted from a polluted stretch of Dal Lake, particularly near Nishat, where they claim several open drains discharge sewage into the lake.
According to locals, nearly 10 MGD of water is presently being drawn from the lake, which they allege increases to around 14 MGD during the summer months, accounting for more than half of the total supply.
They further alleged that untreated sewage from areas including Nehru Park, Foreshore Road and up to Hazratbal flows into the lake, reportedly due to defunct Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Laam, Hazratbal and Habbak.
Residents claimed that one of the major sewage drains has its outfall near the intake point of the Nishat water plant.
“If the department says the water is safe, they should make public the laboratory reports and the exact treatment process,” a local resident said, rejecting the official assurance.
Meanwhile, Jammu & Kashmir-based climate action groups, JK Climate Action Groups (JKCAG), have also raised an alarm over the issue.
Environmental activist Raja Muzaffar, seen in a shared video alleging that highly polluted water from Dal Lake is being supplied to over six lakh population of Srinagar. In the video message, he questions how open drains are entering the lake around Nishat while water is being pumped from nearly the same location for public supply.
The activist has further sought a response from Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, PHE Minister Javed Ahmed Rana, the Lakes Conservation and Management Authority (LCMA) and the Department of Information & Public Relations (J&K).
Residents from Rajbagh, Sonwar, Jawahar Nagar, Shivpora, Lal Chowk, Habbakadal, Munawarabad and Gawkadal alleged that tap water often emits foul smell, particularly during summers, which they say contradicts the department’s safety claims.
Locals have demanded that the government place in the public domain the daily quantity of water lifted from Dal Lake, the exact intake locations, the status of STPs around the lake, a detailed treatment protocol at Nishat and recent independent water quality test reports.
“We are not convinced by verbal assurances. The authorities must back their claims with documented proof,” another resident said.
The residents reiterated their demand for an independent technical audit of the water treatment system and immediate corrective measures if deficiencies are found—(KNO)
