Kulgam, Aug. 31 -- Aashiq Ali

Despite the Jal Shakti Department's much-publicized slogan "Har Ghar Jal", residents of Gujar Basti in the Manzgam area of Kulgam have been grappling with an acute drinking water crisis for the past eight months.

Locals said they are forced to fetch water from far-off places, leaving women, children, and the elderly to suffer the most. "It is 2025, yet we are deprived of the most basic necessity-drinking water. We have been living in this misery for the last eight months, but the authorities remain silent," said one of the residents.

The affected families added that despite repeated appeals to the Jal Shakti Department and the local administration, no effective measures have been taken to restore water sup...