Residents in Qazigund, Islamabad district of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir, took to the streets to protest the Modi government’s plan to control their sole water source, fearing it would leave them without water supply.

According to Kashmir Media Service, the proposed pipeline project aims to draw water from the village’s spring, which irrigates hundreds of kanals of land and supplies drinking water to hundreds of villages. Locals expressed concerns that the project would lead to a severe water shortage, especially during winters when the spring water is only available for six months.

‘The water discharge in the stream is not a lot, and the limited discharge the spring has is used by hundreds of villages for irrigational and drinking purposes,’ said Bashir Ahmed, a local resident.

The community fears that the pipeline project would leave thousands of families without water, leading to a food crisis in the region. ‘If they go ahead with this project, we will have to beg for food. This is sheer injustice to us; we seek justice,’ another protesting local emphasized. The residents view the pipeline project as unjust interference and a conspiracy to cripple locals by every means.