Water scarcity grips Nagaland

KOHIMA — Water scarcity in Nagaland has reached critical levels since the onset of the windy season, affecting communities across various districts.

Many residents in urban areas of Kohima are facing challenges due to the absence of community wells and accessible water sources. As a result, they are compelled to purchase water from private parties to meet their daily needs.

It was found out that they buy water once every week, revealing how acute the water problem is.

Speaking to Eastern Mirror, a resident of a municipal ward in Kohima said that the family requires approximately 2000 litres of water weekly, for their needs.

Citizens of Mokokchung district face similar water woes. A citizen from the district informed that the family has to buy about 2000 litre water thrice a month.

In Dimapur, residents highlighted the challenges they face in accessing clean water. Many rely on drilled wells to access groundwater, yet a significant portion of the population lacks access to this costly resource.

Another resident of Dimapur shared that even for those having drilled wells, difficulties persist due to high iron content in the water, rendering it unsuitable for consumption.

Speaking to this newspaper, Wapangnaro Imchen, an executive engineer from the Water Resources department, said that the main factors contributing to water scarcity in Nagaland are lack of emphasis on water conservation, rainwater harvesting, farm ponds, irrigation structures, and insufficient education on water management and utilisation.

She also highlighted the impact of water scarcity on daily life and livelihoods in Nagaland, saying that even citizens who use government water supply have to purchase water due to the shortage and irregularity of such facility.

Imchen went on to point out the farmers are also going through a harrowing time this season due to scarcity of water.

Regarding government’s action to address the water crisis, she apprised the existence of water-related policies developed collaboratively by departments such as Soil and Water Conservation, Water Resources and Public Health Engineering department (PHED).

However, it was informed that such policies have not been effectively implemented for various reasons.