Worsening water shortages lead to multiple protests in Tripura, with residents demanding basic amenities and government accountability.
As the sun blazes overhead and the dry season sets in, rural Tripura is once again facing severe drinking water crisis. The remote parts of the hilly state always face perennial drinking water shortage and the villagers are forced to drink muddy and often heavily contaminated water from the small streams of water pool in the forest and foothills. This year the problem appears more serious with reports reaching here from various parts of the state say that villagers resort to agitation mostly road blockade by women with their utensils being the common mode. The allegations are always directed towards the Drinking Water and Sanitation department of the state government as the villagers complain that the department fails to meet the situation effectively. On Tuesday over 200 women from several villages in North Tripura staged a road blockade near Manu-Manpui Chowmuhani on Tuesday, demanding immediate access to clean drinking water. The protest began early in the morning around 6 am and continued for nearly five hours, causing widespread disruption along National Highway-44, a crucial lifeline in the region. The protestors—mostly women from the villages of Manu Manpui, Longiacherra, Mitra Joy Para, and Uri Hampura—voiced deep frustration over the acute water crisis that has gripped the region for the past three months. “We have been suffering in silence for months,” said one of the protestors. “There is no drinking water. Our children are falling sick. We have approached the authorities time and again, but nothing has changed.”
With temperatures soaring during the dry season and water sources drying up, the crisis has intensified. Despite repeated complaints lodged with the local administration and the Drinking Water and Sanitation Department, no substantial measures had been taken to address the issue. The protestors decided they had waited long enough. To amplify their grievances, the women blocked NH-44, bringing vehicular movement to a grinding halt. Commuters were stranded for hours on both sides of the road, some reportedly stuck without food or water. The blockade coincided with a review meeting chaired by the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) at the Dak Bungalow a day earlier, where officials from the Drinking Water department were present, further fueling the protestors’ anger over administrative inaction. Responding to mounting pressure, district officials arrived at the site and held discussions with the demonstrators. After over five hours of blockade, the protest was lifted following an assurance from the administration that four water tankers would be dispatched daily to the affected villages until a long-term solution is implemented.
On the same day, another group of villagers from the West Jalefa Gram Panchayat in South Tripura area also took to the streets. They blocked the Sabroom–Agartala stretch of National Highway-8, pressing for three long-standing demands—clean drinking water, road renovation, and uninterrupted electricity supply. “We are tired of empty promises,” said one villager.
“We’ve approached the local panchayat head and even the chairperson of the Panchayat Samiti multiple times, but no action has been taken.” Locals were particularly critical of the Panchayat Samiti Chairperson, who hails from the affected area, accusing her of remaining silent despite being well aware of the ground realities. This recent protest follows a similar agitation held a few months ago, during which the villagers were assured that their demands would be met. However, protestors allege that none of the promises were fulfilled, forcing them to once again resort to road blockades. These back-to-back protests underscore growing public frustration in remote corners of Tripura, where basic amenities such as clean drinking water, motorable roads, and steady electricity continue to remain luxuries.
