potable water Nagaland
Representative image.

The Mokokchung Town Lanur Telongjem (MTLT) on Wednesday said the people of Mokokchung town in Nagaland have been suffering due to the scarcity of potable water for the past many years.

Faced with the drinking water crisis, the organisation issued an ultimatum to the Mokokchung division of PHED to take immediate necessary action to ensure supply of regular drinking water in the town within 45 days starting from June 9.

The ultimatum, addressed to the executive engineer, PHED, Mokokchung division, pointed out that though the MTLT raised the issue with the department and other competent authorities on several occasions over the years.

“However, our concerns and queries have been met with excuses after excuses,” it rued.

The MTLT said it will not entertain any excuses on this matter in future.

It said there are many families in different colonies in the town who have to resort to buying drinking water from the water merchants.

“The saddest part is that those families who have a PHED water pipe connection are compelled to buy water even during the monsoon season,” it said.

The MTLT said as per its survey, about 2,500 families in the town are aggrieved because of non-supply of water by the department but they are charged the regular maintenance fees every month.

If the department cannot supply water even to those 2,500 families having pipeline connections, the MTLT questioned whether it can supply water to the other families who are yet to have a pipe connection.

Bhadra Gogoi is Northeast Now Correspondent in Nagaland. He can be reached at: [email protected]