Worsening Power and Water Crisis Grips IIOJK as Over 1,600 Engineering Posts Remain Unfilled

As a sweltering summer intensifies across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), millions of residents are enduring relentless hardships due to acute power cuts and severe water shortages. This deepening crisis, which has turned basic necessities like electricity and drinking water into daily battles for survival, is being further aggravated by an alarming shortfall of technical staff in key public utility departments.

According to official data, hundreds of engineering posts across the territory’s water and power sectors remain vacant, paralyzing essential operations and exposing the chronic neglect by the occupation administration. The failure to address this critical staffing gap underscores a worrying apathy toward the well-being of ordinary Kashmiris and reflects the ongoing administrative vacuum that has plagued the region since the abrogation of Article 370 in August 2019.

The Jal Shakti Department, which is responsible for water supply and sanitation services across IIOJK, currently has 802 unfilled engineering posts, ranging from Junior Engineers (JEs) to Chief Engineers. Similarly, the Power Development Department (PDD)—along with its allied corporations and agencies tasked with power generation, transmission, and distribution—is grappling with 861 vacant engineering positions.

This combined shortfall of 1,663 engineers has dealt a severe blow to the functionality of both sectors, which are crucial for delivering uninterrupted public services in the region. In the absence of adequate technical staff, maintenance work has slowed down drastically, timely responses to breakdowns have become rare, and long-term projects have either stalled or been indefinitely postponed.

As temperatures in the Kashmir Valley and Jammu region soar past 40 degrees Celsius, prolonged power outages lasting up to 12–14 hours per day have become the norm in many areas, especially in rural and peripheral districts. Without air-conditioning, fans, or functioning coolers, people are left vulnerable to heatstroke, dehydration, and other health risks.

Adding to their woes, the irregular power supply has crippled the pumping and purification systems essential for water distribution, creating a cascading crisis. Residents in numerous villages and urban pockets now report going days without a proper water supply, often having to rely on tankers or unsafe water sources to meet their daily needs.

“The electricity goes off at dawn and doesn’t return until late evening. There’s no water to drink, no power for fans or coolers, and the children are falling sick,” said Rehana Bano, a resident of Kupwara district.

This twin crisis has not only disrupted domestic life but has also affected small businesses, hospitals, educational institutions, and essential services—many of which cannot function without reliable electricity and clean water.

The worsening state of public utilities in IIOJK sharply contrasts with the Indian government’s repeated assertions of development and progress in the region after the revocation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status in 2019. Authorities have often claimed that the move would usher in a “new era of prosperity” with improved governance, infrastructure, and service delivery. However, the ground reality paints a starkly different picture.

The fact that over 1,600 critical posts remain unfilled in such vital departments raises serious questions about the commitment and capacity of the administration imposed by New Delhi to address the needs of the local population.

“If the government was truly interested in the welfare of Kashmiris, these posts would have been filled urgently. Instead, the people are paying the price of bureaucratic apathy and political tokenism,” said Engineer Imran Dar, a former PDD official.

The crisis also highlights another layer of injustice—the denial of employment opportunities to thousands of qualified engineers and technical graduates in IIOJK. Despite a high number of local engineering graduates passing out each year from institutions like NIT Srinagar, Islamic University of Science and Technology, and various polytechnic colleges, these vacant posts are not being advertised or filled.

Local experts believe that this intentional stagnation of recruitment is part of a broader strategy to disempower the local workforce and centralize control, leaving young professionals frustrated and disillusioned.

“We have the talent, we have the degrees, but the doors are shut. They are deliberately keeping the posts empty to justify importing outsiders,” said Shah Faisal, a 27-year-old unemployed engineer in Anantnag.

What began as an administrative lapse has now morphed into a humanitarian crisis. The failure to ensure even basic amenities like water and electricity during peak summer exposes the fragility of life under occupation. Children are falling ill, elderly citizens are collapsing due to dehydration, and patients in remote clinics are being treated under mobile flashlights or in dark, sweltering rooms.

Health experts warn that heat-related illnesses and water-borne diseases are likely to rise unless immediate measures are taken to restore and stabilize services.

“Clean water and electricity are not luxuries—they are necessities. Denying them is tantamount to institutional cruelty,” said Dr. Shahid Nazir, a physician in Pulwama district.

The deteriorating service delivery has led to rising anger and frustration among the local population. Protests have been reported in several towns, where residents have blocked roads and staged sit-ins demanding immediate action from the administration. However, the response from authorities has largely remained indifferent, with no clear timeline offered for the recruitment of technical staff or the restoration of full services.

Civic bodies and political commentators warn that if the situation continues unchecked, it could lead to larger unrest across the valley. Many see the neglect as symptomatic of a broader policy of systemic marginalization and disenfranchisement of Kashmiris under Indian occupation.

The ongoing power and water crisis in IIOJK is not merely a seasonal or administrative issue—it is emblematic of the deeper structural failures and governance deficits that have intensified since August 2019. The refusal to fill essential vacancies in critical sectors while touting development narratives reflects a profound disconnect between state propaganda and the suffering of ordinary citizens.

Until the basic needs of the people are prioritized and local participation in governance is restored, the dream of “normalcy” and “progress” in IIOJK will remain hollow rhetoric. The people of the territory, meanwhile, continue to suffer in silence, enduring a heatwave not only from the weather—but from state neglect and apathy.