Budgam, Aug 7: Residents of Rawalpora village in the Khansahab area of central Kashmir's Budgam district have alleged that they are facing an acute shortage of drinking water, forcing families to endure daily hardships in securing water for their basic household needs.

According to the residents, the prolonged scarcity has hit women, children and the elderly the hardest, with women allegedly travelling long distances every day to fetch potable water.
The villagers expressed resentment over what they described as official apathy, claiming that repeated representations to the concerned authorities have failed to yield any concrete results.
Residents further alleged that the Jal Jeevan Mission water supply scheme has failed to ensure a regular supply of drinking water to the village. They claimed that in the absence of timely official intervention, locals themselves repaired damaged water pipelines in an attempt to restore the supply.
The villagers also alleged that the area lacks an adequate water storage reservoir and proper infrastructure required to ensure an uninterrupted supply of safe drinking water.
Appealing for urgent intervention, the residents urged the administration and the Jal Shakti Department to conduct an on-the-spot inspection, restore regular water supply and take immediate steps to resolve the crisis before the situation worsens.
The allegations have been made by local residents. The response of the concerned authorities could not be obtained immediately.