85 Families Left Without Supply for 13 Days, aggrieved villagers block road in South Tripura
In a show of frustration and desperation, residents of Canalbari, a village near Poangbari under the South Tripura District, staged a road blockade on Friday morning over a prolonged water crisis that has plagued their community for nearly two weeks.
Around 8 am, dozens of men, women, and children from Canalbari and nearby areas gathered to block the main road connecting Poangbari to Manubazar, demanding urgent intervention to address the acute water scarcity affecting 85 families.
According to the protesters, they have endured 13 days without an adequate water supply.
They alleged, pleas to the local Panchayat and the Poangbari Block Development Officer (BDO) going unanswered. The protestors claimed that despite their repeated appeals, neither temporary relief measures nor long-term solutions had been provided by the administration.
As the sufferings remain unabated and administration remain unresponsive in mitigating their water woes, the aggrieved villagers took matters into their own hands and blocked the road.
By 11 am, under mounting pressure from the gathered crowd and local media, the administration delivered 1,500 liters of water to the affected families.
However, locals argued that such an emergency supply is merely a “band-aid” solution to a chronic problem.
“We’ve been asking for help, but nobody seems to care. It’s only after we block the road that they responded and even then, it’s not enough,” lamented a resident.
According to the villagers, the water crisis stems from administrative and operational issues. Reportedly, the village's designated pump operator has gone unpaid for nearly a year, resulting in unreliable maintenance of the water supply system.
Besides, electricity issues have compounded the problem, further reducing access to water.
Residents expressed their disappointment, noting that the state’s Chief Minister has been vocal about initiatives to provide drinking water to every household.
“It’s disheartening,” said a community member and added, “While promises are being made for universal water access, we’re struggling for a single bucket of water and no one from the administration is ready to help us.”
(Tripura, Northeast)
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