Skip to main content

Water mapping survey disappoints state planners


Tahir Mushtaq 

GNS JAMMU, Mar 03: The much awaited water mapping survey conducted to find new sources of ground water in Jammu and Kashmir by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has found that most of the water reserves are unsuitable for human consumption. Sources said that the remote sensing technology survey carried out by the government with the help of ISRO has found high level of iron and fluoride contents in the underground sources of water found in the state. 
The report says that many of the newly found underground water channels have been found at inaccessible locations, which need sophisticated technology to extract, beyond the range of equipment what the engineers are using in the country at the moment. The report was recently submitted to the government by the space scientists. 
Officials said that the survey has thrown open the fact that the people will continue to face drinking water shortage for decades to come, with more reliance on the surface water resources, already facing huge pressure in the backdrop of rising pollution and over exploitation. It is pertinent to mention here that facing the threat of water scarcity due to global warming and other reasons, for the first time in six decades, the state government had decided to map its resources with the help of remote sensing satellite technology. 
The situation is more alarming in Kashmir valley as despite having abundance of glacier fed streams, which also recharge the under ground channels, high level of iron has been found at most of the places. Similarly in Jammu region the survey has either shown very poor quality of hydro reserves or its total absence, which in turn has thrown a tough challenge for the planners, as how to cope up with the increasing demand of potable water in the coming decades. 
Jammu & Kashmir is endowed with thousands of glacier fed rivers and streams, but in recent years due to the affect of global warming and ruthless exploitation of the water bodies, most of these are receding. State has so far used only 16 per cent of the available ground water and the Government wanted to conduct a comprehensive study of its resources, but the survey had thrown new challenges for it. 
Official sources said that in places like Lolab and Kupwara, hit by the acute water scarcity, high mineral content has been found in newly found underground sources, which has cast its shadow over the plan to exploit these on massive scale. Likewise in Jammu region, the ground water in Rajouri, Poonch, Doda, Kandi belt and southern districts is trapped at the places where it is very difficult to extract it at the moment. 
“We are ourselves quite surprised by the findings as we were looking forward to exploit the ground water to meet our future requirements. It has been found that most of it is not suitable for humans or is trapped in inaccessible areas”, said Minister for PHE Taj-Mohi-Ud-Din. Minister claimed that the engineers are studying the findings minutely so to frame Water Security Plan for each district to meet the challenges of future requirements- the move which has now become inevitable.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Govt. to conduct scientific study of the traffic management in J&K

By Tahir Mushtaq (TNI) GNS JAMMU, : With Management of rising vehicles become a nightmare for the administration in the rapidly growing urban centers of Jammu and Kashmir, government has decided to formulate a comprehensive City Transport Policy for scientific management of the vehicles. Sources said that some private consultants are being hired by the Transport Department to do a detailed study of traffic pattern, road use and ways to deal with the jams at peak hours. Officials said that this will be for first time that such a detailed scientific study is being conducted in Jammu and Kashmir to effectively manage nearly 800000 vehicles which ply on the roads including thousands of floating vehicles which enter the state daily carrying pilgrims of Vaishno Devi shrine and other religious places in Jammu region. “To streamline the regulation of traffic smoothly in the cities of Jammu and Srinagar, a comprehensive City Transport Policy is being introduced very soon. This has become impera...
Post a Comment
Read more

When the holy Quran was placed before Mohammed Maqbool Butt on the morning of February 11,

When the holy Quran was placed before Mohammed Maqbool Butt on the morning of February 11, 1984, he knew that death awaited him in the phansi kothi a few yards away. A high voltage bulb burning outside the grated doors of his solitary cell in the death row was indicative of the outside darkness. If he had had any hopes of living awhile yet, they were dashed by the presence of the” prison doctors. Jail superintendent, A.B. Shukla/had paid Butt a visit in the middle of the previous night. Shukla chatted with him for a long time but cautiously avoided any talk about the execution. “I will see you on Monday”, Butt’s counsel on record, the sallow-complexioned R.C. Pathak, had told him during a brief interview they were allowed on the evening of February 10. In answer, the condemned Kashmir Liberation Front leader, who was awarded the death sentence of the murder of a CID officer in 1966, had meaningfully remarked: “Do you think they will permit us a second meeting?” He was right! Butt was n...
Post a Comment
Read more

PDP emerged a force in Twin border District of Poonch , Rajouri

GNS RAJOURI : The way opposition People's Democratic Party (PDP) led by former JK Chief Minister and erstwhile union home minister, Mufti Mohammad Sayed has been emerging as a force in the border region of Poonch , Rajouri, is really a worrying situation for Congress and National Conference . It would be much better to say that the situation if more threatening for NC as compared to Congress as the region has always been strong belt of the former for decades . The latest example is the entry of Chowdhary Qamer Hussain of Rajouri in the party fold who was earlier associated with Congress and had contested on Congress ticket from Rajouri in 2002 assembly elections , but had finished second at  that time . Qamar is not alone in the region who joined PDP in the past some months, National Conference has already received a big loss by loosing its influential cadres in Poonch district . The example is the entry of Shah Mohammad Tantray and Shehzaad Ahmed Khan of Poonch in to PDP  No...
Post a Comment
Read more