Torch-bearing villagers protest drinking water crisis in Uttarakhand’s Devprayag

Plagued by a severe drinking water shortage, residents of Hinsariyakhal village in Uttarakhand’s Devprayag region took to the streets with torches, raising slogans and demanding that the crisis be resolved at the earliest.

Videos of the protest, shared by Uttarakhand-based news platform Kumaon Jagran, were widely circulated on social media on Thursday evening. Led by panchayat member and Devprayag Congress Committee district president Uttam Singh Aswal, scores of villagers marched through the area carrying torches and protesting against the government and the water department.

The residents alleged that they have been unable to access clean drinking water for months and accused the government and local administration of repeatedly ignoring their concerns despite raising the issue on several occasions.

The protest has drawn attention because of the irony of the situation. Devprayag is the sacred confluence where the Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers meet to form the Ganga. Uttarakhand itself is home to more than a dozen major and minor rivers, yet villagers in the region say they are struggling to secure basic drinking water supplies.

Another video of the protest was shared by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on X, with the party targeting the BJP government over what it described as a failure to fulfil promises made under the ‘Har Ghar Jal’ programme.

“Residents of Hinsariyakhal in Devprayag, plagued by a severe water shortage, have now taken to the streets with torches in hand. Under the BJP government, which made grand promises of ‘Har Ghar Jal’, people today are forced to protest for every drop of water,” the party said in a post in Hindi.

According to local residents, the drinking water shortage has persisted for several months and has intensified amid soaring temperatures across northern India. Villagers warned that if access to basic necessities such as drinking water is not ensured, the agitation could intensify further in the coming days.

A season of fires

The water crisis comes at a time when Uttarakhand has been grappling with unusually high temperatures and an intense forest fire season.

While parts of the state received rainfall on Friday, official data cited by PTI showed that Uttarakhand recorded 375 forest fire incidents between 15 February and 24 May this year.

According to officials, a total forest area of 319.67 hectares has been affected by the fires. Chamoli remained the worst-affected district, accounting for 133 incidents that damaged 67.29 hectares of forest land.

Pauri Garhwal reported 42 incidents affecting 58.5 hectares, while Dehradun recorded 34 forest fires covering 52.46 hectares. Tehri Garhwal and Rudraprayag witnessed 42 and 37 incidents respectively, affecting 39.5 hectares and 25.02 hectares of forest area.

Uttarkashi reported 18 incidents that damaged 15.85 hectares, while Nainital recorded 13 incidents affecting 17.35 hectares of forest land.

The state also witnessed unusually high daytime temperatures during May. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Dehradun recorded temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius on several days over the past two weeks, while higher-altitude regions also experienced above-normal temperatures.

Against this backdrop, residents of Hinsariyakhal say access to drinking water has become an increasingly urgent concern and are demanding immediate intervention from the authorities.