Drying up of water sources aggravate water crisis in Chandel
Source: Hueiyen News Service / Gyanand Naorem

Kakching, May 03 2014 : As in valley areas of the State, the problem of water scarcity has started hitting hard the villages in the hill districts as well.

In most villages of Chandel district, fast drying up of water sources has aggravated the problem even more.

During the past few days, most of the streams from where the villagers used to get water have dried up due to intense summer heat and lack of rainfall.

When Hueiyen Lanpao visited Kangoi Khullen Village in Chandel District, all the male members of the village were seen heading towards the forest in search of new water sources.

After a long search, they came across a small stream with little water at a distance of more than 4/5 kms away from their village.

The villagers clean the surrounding area and made a small reservoir like pond where the water could be stored and drained to their village through pipes.

Speaking to Hueiyen Lanpao on the sidelines of this search for new water sources, one of the villagers informed that every year, around this time of the year, the problem of water scarcity is always felt in the village but it was not so acute like this time.

This time, the problem has been aggravated o account of drying up of all the water sources from where we used to get our water supply.

The villager lamented that despite the suffering of the people, the elected representatives including the local MLA have not bother to ensure proper water supply to the village.

So, the villagers contributed money to purchase PVC Pipes for draining water from the stream.

But the pipes were also sometime destroyed by wild fire and the villagers have to bear with the inconveniences till it was repair.

At Saivom Village under Tengnoupal Sub-Division, the problem of water scarcity was even more worst as the villagers including young boys and girls have to go about 2 kms away from their village and climb the steep footpath to fetch water or take a bath.

Sometimes, the villagers get water which was provided to them by the Security Personnel including the Assam Rifles and Manipur Rifles who brought water through water tankers.

But the villagers could not depend on them entirely as the security personnel could not supply water to them on regular basis throughout the year.

Ms.Christina Ating, Chief of Saivom village said that she has been running from pillar to post for setting up of a Government water supply scheme in her village for the last many years.

But the Government and the elected representatives have turned deaf ears to her pleading, thus leaving the poor villagers to their own fate.

She appealed to the State government to consider the hardship faced by the villagers and provide proper water supply in the village at the earliest as the problem of water scarcity in the village was not a seasonal one.

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