Assam: Residents protest demanding clean drinking water, allege corruption against department

Over a hundred residents of Machimpur Grant, under the Badarpur constituency, staged a protest on Sunday, January 5 demanding access to clean drinking water. Armed with buckets and pots, the villagers gathered outside the Assam Government’s water supply center, voicing their grievances against stalled operations caused by an ongoing strike of departmental staff.

The protestors highlighted the deteriorating state of the water supply system, with faulty machinery and neglected reservoirs leading to an acute shortage of clean water. Amid chants of "Down with the Water Supply Department" and "Down with the Minister," the villagers called attention to what they described as systemic corruption within the state’s Jal Jeevan Mission initiative.

Residents alleged that vital supplies intended to purify river water were either underutilized or mismanaged. Consequently, the community has been left to consume foul-smelling and unhygienic water. Protest leaders specifically cited the Machimpur Grant Water Supply Scheme (WSS) as a glaring example of misgovernance and corruption.

In their appeal to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Cachar District Magistrate Mridul Kumar Yadav, the villagers urged immediate action to address the issue and ensure a reliable supply of clean drinking water.  

Prominent community members, including Achar Uddin, Junu Singh, Gaya Prasad Bhar, Niva Rani Das, Shibu Ri, and Jatin Bhar, led the demonstration, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention to resolve the water crisis.



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