He recalled that about 6-8 months ago, the water pipes were re-laid, and “officials assured us that now you will get a regular supply of water.” However, the taps remained dry. The villagers are as worried about their survival as about saving their livestock. Their livelihood depends on these animals.

“With no water in our tanks, we have no option but to purchase a water tanker from an adjacent village. We purchase a 4,000 litres water tanker every 4-5 days, and it costs us about Rs 1,000-Rs 2,000,” said Arafat.

They ration water for cooking, cleaning, drinking, and providing water to cattle. Buying water is a costly proposition, but they know the bottom line: “If we don’t purchase water, our animals will die of thirst,” as Arafat said.

Showket Mehmood, an ex-sarpanch of Pukharni, said that on average, a family buys 5-6 water tankers of 4,000 litres each per month for their basic needs. That sets them back Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 a month. “It’s a huge financial burden for us when we are already struggling to survive on what we produce on our farms,” they said. Anwar Hussain said the government dug borewells in the past. They served their purpose. However, “they went dry following a continuous dry spell”, he added.

L-G, CM Omar urged to look into crisis

In view of the crisis, villagers have appealed to Lt Governor Manoj Sinha, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and MP Poonch-Anantnag Lok Sabha seat Mian Altaf to prioritise water supply for their village.