In 2015 the Government of India launched the Smart Cities Mission that aims to promote sustainable, inclusive, and technologically advanced urban environments across 100 plus cities in the country. Srinagar was also included under this category in 2017 and since then the work is on to develop the infrastructure around the city. The key focus areas in Smart Cities include Integrated Command and Control Centres (ICCCs), smart mobility, and sustainable water management. In this article I will be highlighting how people in Srinagar city are forced to drink unhygienic water from different water sources particularly from Dal Lake. I don’t know what is the situation with other cities vis a vis drinking water but when in Kashmir especially Srinagar this is alarming? Irony is that we have so many fresh water sources in Kashmir but in-spite of that untreated and unhygienic drinking water is supplied to us.

 Nishat & Pokhribal water treatment plants

During my visit to Nishat area of Srinagar recently I found several open drains entering the Dal Lake on Boulevard road right from Brein to Nishat garden. One drain that comes down from the old Nishat area enters Dal Lake near the water lift station also called Barge Pump Station. I couldn’t imagine that this highly contaminated water is a drinking water source for more than half a million people in Srinagar? The water is pumped up by Public Health Engineering Department (PHE) (Jal Shakti) in massive pipes towards the Water Treatment plant located at an elevated location of Nishat Brein area.  Srinagar Water Works Division supplies this water to around half million people in Brein, Nishat, Pahloo, Astanpora........

© Greater Kashmir