J&K's Mallabuchan villagers symbolically cut Off pipeline in protest against ‘water injustice’

By A Representative 

In a striking act of peaceful protest, residents of Mallabuchan village in Jammu and Kashmir's Budgam district symbolically disconnected the Ahmadpora-Tangmarg water pipeline on Thursday, denouncing decades of official neglect and violation of Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM) norms.

The protest, which unfolded during a specially convened Gram Sabha in the presence of the Panchayat Secretary, saw villagers unanimously pass a resolution rejecting the Baramulla-side pipeline that currently services only half of the village. A red cloth was tied to the pipeline at the Malmooh entry point to mark its symbolic “disconnection,” with villagers declaring the supply “dead” to the community until equitable access to safe drinking water is ensured for all households.

Videos of the protest, now circulating widely on social media, show residents—especially women—chanting slogans, holding placards, and sharing personal testimonies of suffering caused by years of unsafe water supply. Many women described how they have had to walk to nearby Magam to fetch potable water, facing daily hardships and indignities.

Mallabuchan villagers allege that their community was arbitrarily split between two water supply schemes without any consultation—violating JJM’s requirement of Gram Sabha approval for Village Action Plans (VAPs). While half the village was linked to the clean, 24x7 Magam-based WSS Narbal supply, the rest were left with what villagers describe as an unreliable and unsafe connection from Ahmadpora.

The Gram Sabha resolution passed during the protest demands:

- Immediate connection of the excluded households to the Magam-based water scheme

- Nullification of the current VAP

- An independent probe into alleged fraud and negligence in JJM implementation

Villagers also accused officials of manipulating data uploaded to the JJM portal and creating fraudulent Pani Samitis without community consent.

"This is not just a demand for water, it's a struggle for dignity and justice,” said a village elder. “We are not asking for charity—we are asking for our constitutional rights.”

The protest has received support from the J&K RTI Foundation. Its chairman, activist and academic Er. Irfan Ali Banka, who was present during the demonstration, called the action “a battle for dignity in the month of Moharram,” invoking the symbolism of resistance from the battle of Karbala. “This symbolic act is our peaceful resistance against modern-day water apartheid,” he said.

The protest follows months of legal and administrative engagement by villagers, who have filed over 50 RTI applications seeking transparency and accountability in the water scheme's implementation. Despite repeated representations to the Chief Engineer and grievances submitted via CPGRAMS, no effective resolution has been provided, residents said.

The Gram Sabha resolution and supporting materials—including photos, videos, and protest documentation—are being formally submitted to the Jal Shakti Department, District Administration, and the Ministry of Jal Shakti in New Delhi.

As the symbolic disconnection garners national attention, the residents of Mallabuchan say they will not relent until their long-awaited demand for equal access to clean water is fulfilled.