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Kashmir gets untreated water, says official

In a startling confession the chief engineer (public health engineering) admitted in Srinagar on Friday that the state-run water supply department, which has a monopoly on drinking water supply throughout the state, has been supplying untreated water to the people.

Chief engineer Naeem Khan told a press conference, "We supply water without filtration to 85 percent of population especially in rural areas due to constraints beyond the control of the department ".

Khan admitted that only 15 percent of the valley's population gets safe drinking water. Khan said the problem was further complicated by the drought in the last four years. "Rivers, streams and even springs have dried up due to the persistent drought"

He said the manifold increase in the population was posing a serious threat to natural water resources. Khan, however, said that Kashmir was the only place where consumers are provided round the clock water supply and added, "We presently supply 5.34 million gallons of water each day" and by 2011 "the demand will increase to 65.05 million gallons".

The chief engineer disclosed that by the year 2021 eight states in the country will face acute shortage of fresh drinking water and "by 2051 several countries will have no water to drink", he said. He warned that "if people don't make judicious use of water there will be water riots".

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