Water Crisis in Dakhala Colony: A Struggle for Clean Drinking Water
Dakhala Colony's Ongoing Water Struggles
Palasbari, July 15: Dakhala Colony, located within the Palasbari Legislative Assembly Constituency in Kamrup district, houses approximately 400 families. This area is a combination of four neighborhoods: Naradpara, Kukuriya, Kalitapara, and Bholapara.
Despite its proximity to semi-urban development, residents of Dakhala Colony have faced a persistent lack of essential services for many years. The most critical issue remains the scarcity of clean drinking water. Locals report being deprived of safe water and largely excluded from various government welfare initiatives.
The rocky landscape surrounding Dakhala Hill complicates the delivery of water via tankers. Drilling deep tube wells or borewells proves to be extremely challenging and often unsuccessful. Additionally, many families cannot afford the expenses associated with building proper wells or installing private borewells. Although a few public wells exist, their water is deemed unsafe for consumption.
A local woman expressed, “We collect water from the Brahmaputra river for bathing and washing clothes. However, for drinking, we have to purchase water, as the river water leads to frequent health issues. There are even poorer families who have no option but to drink from the river.”
Chandra Das, a 55-year-old resident, reminisced: “In our childhood, a natural spring from Dakhala Hill provided us with drinking water throughout the year. However, due to urban expansion, that spring has completely dried up. Now, we depend on open wells, which also run dry in the dry season, forcing us to seek water from others’ wells, often facing verbal abuse.”
Another local youth, Jitumoni Das, highlighted, “From November to April, the water shortage becomes severe. While a few public wells exist, their water is unsuitable for use. Last year, the village panchayat installed a borewell, but it does not provide water consistently and is not accessible to all households.”
It is worth noting that the BJP-led government initiated the Jal Jeevan Mission under the Har Ghar Jal program, promising clean drinking water to every household. This mission allocated several hundred crore rupees for establishing water conservation and distribution centers across Assam. However, the reality on the ground tells a different story.
Although a Jal Jeevan Mission water facility has been built on Dakhala Hill, villagers claim they have yet to benefit from it. Distribution pipelines have not been installed in Dakhala Colony. Residents assert that political leaders make grand promises during election campaigns but vanish afterward.
“We have submitted numerous petitions to the current BJP MLA to address our water crisis,” stated one villager. “While he assured us of action, we continue to rely on well and river water.”
The plight of Dakhala Colony illustrates the broader challenges faced by rural Assam in securing safe drinking water, despite ambitious government initiatives claiming otherwise.
