KHAR: The local tribal people have said that supply of electricity has been suspended to most parts of Bajaur Agency for the last two days.

The residents of different areas of Bajaur Agency told this scribe here on Wednesday that power supply remained suspended to their localities owing to unknown reasons. They said that supply of electricity to their areas had been suspended since Monday night.

“We don’t know the reasons, but supply of electricity to most areas was suspended immediately when the fresh spell of rain started in the agency,” said Rahman Gul, a resident of Mamond area.

The tribesmen said that suspension of power supply caused acute shortage of drinking water in their areas. “The situation has forced the residents to fetch drinking water from distant localities,” they added.

The tribesmen said that there was no water for ablution in the mosques in several areas. “As a result, the residents of these areas are unable to pray prayers in the mosques,” they added.

They appealed to the local officials of Tribal Electric Supply Company (Tesco) to restore power supply to their areas immediately so that they could get drinking water.

An official of Tesco, when contacted, said that power supply to the areas was suspended when some of the transmission lines developed technical faults due to the rain.

He said that several technical teams were sent to the affected areas but they were unable to remove the fault due to the heavy rain. He said that the fault would be fixed soon after the rain stopped.

Meanwhile, the fresh spell of rain, started since Monday night, turned the weather cold in Bajaur Agency. People were seen wearing warm clothes to protect themselves from the cold.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2017