TIMERGARA, June 6: The people in different parts of Lower Dir district are facing hardship because of scarcity of drinking water.

According to a survey, the natural springs in the district have gone dry owing to the prolonged drought.

The residents of Talash, Jandol, Timergara, Adeenzai, Samarbagh, Ouch, Chakdarra and other areas of Lower Dir are constrained to bring water for drinking purposes from far-off localities as all the wells and natural springs go dry in summer.

The only source from where the locals get water are the different water supply schemes, most of which are non-functional.

The public health tubewell in the Ziarat Talash area has been closed down as the water table receded, while the consumers are supplied insufficient water from the Dherai, Soghalai and Banargai water supply schemes.

The shortage of potable water is more severe in the urban areas of the district, as in the rural areas, the people have their personal wells.

The district government is short of resources to cope with the severe water scarcity problem which needs to be solved on a war-footing.

Public complaints are piling up in the district Nazim’s office, urging the authorities concerned to take some action to solve this problem.

In response to these pleas, the district government officials simply turn back the consumers by saying that the issue would be taken up with the provincial governor.

They appealed to the provincial government that more water supply schemes should be allocated to the district to resolve the issue.