PESHAWAR: The Gomal Zam Dam project focuses entirely on constructing the infrastructure with no attention paid to take care of the affected people, according to Dera Ismail Khan Commissioner Mushtaq Jadoon.

Addressing the closing ceremony of the recently completed ‘Gomal Zam Command Area Advocacy Programme’ here on Wednesday, he said the dam component of the project had been focused, but issues important to affected communities had been ‘ignored’.

“What would happen to water ponds (that would get dried), Rod Kohi system, and livestock farmers because of the new water storage project?” Mr Jadoon asked.

He added that the affected communities’ problems needed to be resolved.

Terming the dam project a ‘unique’ in nature, the commissioner said that the newly constructed structure was situated in South Waziristan Agency.

The water rights of people in Tank district needed to be protected whereas Dera Ismail Khan growers dependent on floods for irrigation purposes needed redressal of their problems, he added.

Mr Jadoon said that the centuries-old Rod Kohi system would be converted into proper irrigation system for which a comprehensive effort needed to address farming communities’ problems.

The issues highlighted in the final report of the advocacy project, he added, would be looked into positive.

“I have issued directives for a series of meetings to resolve complainants’ issues as we believe there is a need to resolve their issues highlighted under the final report of the advocacy project,” said the commissioner.

Regional Institute of Policy Research and Training conducted the advocacy project with the financial support of USAID.

Speaking on the occasion, the institute’s chairman, Khalid Aziz, said that the province’s irrigation system needed improvement.

He said that during the course of the advocacy project’s activities growers from the target area pinpointed problems that required immediate attention on the part of the authorities concerned.