HARIPUR, May 28: Owing to the prolonged dry season, about 33 water supply schemes have dried up in different parts of the Haripur district, official sources at the local Public Health Engineering Department told Dawn on Tuesday.

The hilly areas of the district are the worst hit, where the people had lost the only source of water supply, the gravity flow system, because of the drought.

In 2001, over 46 water supply schemes of both categories also went dry in the district.

According to the sources, there were over 18 gravity flow system water supply schemes in the villages of Bandi Khoon, Behri Bandi, Bareela, Sera-i-Nehmat Khan, Neelor and a number of others, where the people used to get water for daily use, had all gone dry, causing immense problem for the villagers who were now forced to either take water from areas miles away or purchase it from the municipal tanks to keep themselves alive.

Because of the worst water crisis ever, people of these areas were reportedly contemplating to move to other places.

The sources said out of 120 tubewell schemes over 15 had also gone dry and in a number of remaining schemes the water table had gone down, prompting the administration to reduce the timing of water supply to once in 24 hours. The villages affected due to dry spell were Jagal, Meelam, Makhan Colony, Sangian, Tarnawa, Choee, Pind Gakhra, etc.

To a question, an official said though the inhabitants of the affected villages were at present faced with severe problem of potable water, however, in most of these areas over 12 new water supply schemes had been approved under the Khushhal Pakistan programme and the digging work was under way at a brisk pace.

To ensure the water supply to these areas certain steps, including connecting the affected villages to the other areas, were also being taken, he further said.