KHAR: Women staged a protest demonstration in Barang tehsil of Bajaur tribal district on Saturday against acute shortage of drinking water in the area.

Scores of women and their children marched from remote Kamal Dara village of Brang tehsil and gathered on the main Khar- Barang road, blocking it to traffic.

The participants of the protest, which is said to be the first such demo in the region held by women, chanted slogans against the lawmaker from the area and the administration for their silence over shortage of water in the area.

They said that they had been facing many problems in their area, but shortage of drinking water was the major issue of the people. They said that the area women had to fetch water from distant localities. They pointed out that there was one water supply scheme in the area constructed several months ago, but it had been restricted to the lands of influential people.

The protesters said that the scheme, which was constructed at a cost of about Rs20 million, could resolve the problem of drinking water shortage. However, they alleged that the local lawmaker had been using water from the scheme only for irrigation of land owned by him and his relatives.

The protesters said that the scheme was approved on the residents’ request prior to the 2018 general elections. They criticised MNA Gul Dad Khan for not taking steps to ensure provision of drinking water to the residents from the area’s water supply scheme.

Published in Dawn, June 30th, 2019