Pampore, Dec 1: MLA Pampore and retired Justice Hasnain Masoodi on Monday inaugurated a major multi-stage water supply scheme under the Jal Jeevan Mission, bringing piped drinking water to the long-neglected tribal habitations of Bathen, Bajnari and Batdalav in Khrew area of Pampore.
Built at a cost of Rs 9.07 crore, the project is the first scheme of its kind in Pulwama district and among the few multi-stage lifting systems in the Union Territory.
Designed with four high-lift stages, the scheme draws water from borewell sources and pumps it to a height of nearly 500 metres, reaching Bathen village at 2,170 metres above mean sea level, officials said.
The project aims to provide clean and safe drinking water to every household in the remote habitations, which for decades remained without any formal potable water supply. Women and children in the area had to walk long distances daily to fetch water from far-off natural sources.
“The completion of this scheme ends a long struggle for drinking water in these villages and will significantly improve public health and daily life,” officials said, adding that the initiative will bring major relief to residents facing extreme geographical and climatic hardships.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Executive Engineer Awantipora Er. Zubair Ahmad Naqash, Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) Er. Mudasir Mushtaq Untoo, Mechanical Engineer Er. Shafat Ahmed, and other officials from the Jal Shakti Department.
Addressing the gathering at Tulhar Wadjan, Khrew, Masoodi said ensuring access to potable water was a basic public right and a top development priority. “Under the Jal Jeevan Mission, we are committed to reaching even the most remote habitations so that no family is left without this essential service,” he stated. He also thanked engineers and staff of the Jal Shakti Department for executing the technically demanding project under challenging terrain conditions.
Speaking to Kashmir Convener, Masoodi said there had been no drinking water arrangement at all in Bathen, Bajnari and Batdalav before this project. “With an investment of nearly Rs 9.7 crore, the first multi-stage water lifting scheme of its kind in J&K has now been completed, ensuring a permanent drinking water supply for the entire population of the area,” he said.
Masoodi also informed that another Rs 16-crore water supply scheme for Khrew is currently under development under the AMRUT-2 programme to further strengthen drinking water infrastructure in the constituency.
The project aligns with the government’s broader rural development goals and the Jal Jeevan Mission’s objective of achieving universal household water coverage, extending essential services even to the most difficult terrains of the Valley.
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