Kolkata’s Muslim Colony Faces Month-Long Water Crisis in India

For nearly a month, around 5,000 residents of Jyotinagar Colony in Kolkata’s Kashipur area have been struggling without access to drinking water. The crisis has become so severe that residents are being forced to rely on the Ganges for bathing and other daily activities, putting their lives and health at risk. Local residents have alleged that the water crisis was deliberately created as part of what they describe as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) “anti-minority politics” and as punishment for not voting for the party. The allegations have not been independently verified.

Jyotinagar Colony falls under Ward No. 6 of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and is locally known as “Molla Para.” The area has been predominantly Muslim for around 60 years, although several Hindu families also live there. Most residents earn their livelihoods as construction workers or by working in bottle-recycling factories.

According to residents, KMC workers arrived in the colony on July 27 to repair the water pipeline. The work was completed on July 29, and water supply resumed that day. However, around 11:30pm that night, the water connection was suddenly cut off completely. Residents allege that while water supply remains normal in Hindu-majority colonies along the same road, all six water taps serving Molla Para have remained dry for nearly a month. They also claim that the streetlights in the colony were switched off the following day, further worsening the situation.

Residents Forced to Depend on the Ganges
With no regular water supply, residents have been forced to visit the banks of the Ganges for bathing and other basic needs. Local resident Jahanara Bibi said children are being taken to the river simply to wash their faces and bathe. She said several people have fallen into the river, while others narrowly escaped drowning. Even residents who cannot swim are being forced to enter the water because they have no alternative. The use of polluted river water is reportedly causing health problems among children and elderly residents, including fever, headaches and skin diseases. The muddy and slippery riverbank has also caused several people to fall and suffer serious injuries.

Women and Students Among Worst Affected
The water shortage is also disrupting education and everyday life. Fifteen-year-old school student Isma Khatun said she has been unable to attend school because of the water crisis, which has become particularly difficult during her examination period. The school in the area also reportedly lacks a functioning water connection. Isma Khatun said the shutdown of streetlights has created additional security concerns for women in the neighborhood. The water shortage has also affected religious activities, with residents saying that the local mosque no longer has sufficient water for ablution.

Residents Allege Political Retaliation
Residents directly blame political retaliation for the crisis. Their allegations center on a viral video involving local BJP legislator Ritesh Tiwari following his victory in the state assembly election. According to residents, Mr. Tiwari was heard in the video saying that minority voters who did not vote for him would receive no development work from him for the next five years. Residents now claim that the current water crisis is an implementation of that alleged threat.

The allegations remain disputed and would require independent verification.
There are also growing fears of slum eviction. Residents allege that local BJP workers have threatened them with eviction, adding to their anxiety.

Administrative Inaction and Temporary Relief
Residents also complain of what they describe as administrative indifference. They say local Trinamool Congress (TMC) ward councillor Suman Singh has not visited the area. Some residents allege that he left the locality after the election results. Repeated complaints to the municipal authorities and police have reportedly failed to resolve the water crisis. Amid the shortage, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), and the West Bengal Slum Development Association have arranged municipal water tankers every three or four days at a cost of around Rs 700 per tanker.

However, local CPI(M) branch secretary Alamgir Biswas said one tanker every three or four days is completely inadequate for a population of around 5,000 people. The CPI(M) also took an initiative to partially repair the area’s streetlights on Wednesday.

Questions Over Civil Society’s Role
Journalist and columnist Arka Bhaduri described the situation as shameful for Indian democracy. He said the treatment of Jyotinagar residents was contrary to the Constitution and alleged that they were facing the situation because they are Muslims. He also questioned the silence of Kolkata’s civil society, arguing that it exposes what he described as Islamophobia within society. Meanwhile, efforts by CPI(M) leader Shamim Ahmad, through the West Bengal Slum Development Association, have resulted in a court stay against the proposed eviction of the slum, according to the organization.

Yet despite the legal intervention and political efforts, the water crisis continues. More than a month after the original disruption, the six taps in Molla Para remain dry, leaving thousands of residents dependent on an inadequate supply of tanker water and the polluted waters of the Ganges for their basic needs.