J-K: Samba residents forced to drink contaminated water as crisis deepens

Samba (Jammu and Kashmir) [India], June 13 (ANI): Padal village in Samba district is reeling under acute water shortage, forcing villagers to drink contaminated water.
The condition here is such that locals claim they have to travel miles even to fetch this contaminated water.
"We have to walk at least seven kilometres away from our place in order to fetch water for our daily requirements. Moreover, the well from which the entire village fetches water is situated few kilometres down the hill and we have to walk across rough terrain to fetch water and climb back with heavy water containers. The water we get from there is highly contaminated," a Padal resident told ANI.
"We have to walk on rough and uneven terrain which is extremely risky as people can slip or fall from the steep path while carrying heavy water containers and we have to fetch water at least three to four times a day. Extreme hot weather condition makes it more difficult for us to travel this far in order to fetch water," said another villager, Kulwant Singh.
"There is no water supply in our village, taps and water pipes have dried up. Authorities should do something in order to provide clean drinking water in Padal village," he added.
Villagers have also claimed that the only water resource they are left with is one well, which is also on the verge of drying up.
Harsh weather is adding to the woes of the locals, as the temperature in Samba and nearby regions hovers around 40 degrees Celsius.
According to locals, water pipelines in Padal are damaged and authorities have not taken any effort to repair them. "They should repair the pipelines immediately and provide the villagers with clean drinking water," a local appealed. (ANI)