GHALANAI, Aug 27: The owners of water tankers are doing a roaring business in Mohmand Agency as several areas of the tribal region are faced with severe shortage of drinking water.

Several tubewells and dug wells, water supply schemes have dried up because of prolonged dry spell and depletion of water table in the hilly areas of the region, particularly Haleemzai tehsil, forcing tribal people to buy drinking water from the tanker owners.

The government had spent Rs2.25 billion during the last few years on water supply schemes, but the issue of water shortage is still unresolved in Mohmand Agency, a tribal region having rugged mountains and barren slopes.

Tribal people said that dug wells and tubewells were installed by the government in different areas of Mohmand Agency, but those could not fulfil their requirements. The water supply schemes have become useless due to depletion of water table in the region.

“A small dam was constructed in Pandiali tehsil at a cost of Rs22.3 million in 2004, but a low flood washed away it owing to use of substandard material,” they said. The damaged dam is yet to be repaired.

Even the Agency Headquarters Hospital, established in mid 1970s in Ghalanai, is also without drinking water.

The doctors can’t stay in the hospital owing to scarcity of water.However, work is underway on a small dam in Yousafkhel village near Ghalanai, the agency headquarters.

Officials told Dawn that about 70,000 people in Ghalanai, Pagul Kor, Chanda, Mill, Koaz Ghandab and others areas were suffering owing to shortage of drinking water.

However, the shortage of water has proved blessing in disguise for owners of tankers as they charge Rs1,500 to Rs1,800 per tanker for supplying water to people.

The women of the poor families, who can’t afford buying water from tankers, fetch it into pitchers or other utensils from far-flung areas.

Some of these women cover a distance of several kilometres on foot to bring water for domestic use while most of the people utilise water of ponds for washing clothes and other purposes.

A tanker owner, when asked, said that he was paying Rs500 per tanker to operators of private tubewells in Main Mandi and others areas to supply water to people.

Local residents said that the tankers owners and some owners of dug wells were hand in glove and were providing water to them at an exorbitant price.

Noor Zada, a tribesman, told Dawn that in many villages people were using contaminated water for cooking and washing purposes.

He said that government should construct small dams and reservoirs in the area to resolve the issue of water shortage.

Construction of small dams would not only resolve the problem of drinking water shortage but also raise water table in the area, he added.