LAKKI MARWAT: Former MNA Humayun Saifullah Khan has asked the provincial government to allocate funds for execution of schemes on the rain-fed nullahs in the Lakki Marwat district to help overcome water scarcity for both irrigation and domestic consumption.

In a letter addressed to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, he said consistent drought like situation in the district for the last several years had brought miseries to local residents.

He said the annual rainfall was low and the water so received was accumulated and used for irrigation and other purposes.

“A major part of rainwater drains into nullahs and then into the feeding Gambila and Kurrum rivers which conjoin Indus River, irrigating areas in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan,” he maintained.

Humayun Saifullah said some lands in the Upper Marwat area were dependent on Kachkot and Marwat canals but silting of Baran Dam had reduced the water storage capacity in the reservoir.

“Now farmers are sinking tubewells to pump underground water for irrigation purposes, which is causing depletion of underground water resources,” he claimed.

The former lawmaker said the Rod Kohi irrigation system was the only solution to the problems. He asked the government to direct quarters concerned to identify schemes on all the nullahs.

TWO KILLED: Two people, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed in separate road accidents in Bannu district on Monday.

Police and witnesses said a tractor struck a boy, Rahidullah, in Hakim Bharat locality, killing him on the spot. The body was shifted to the district headquarters hospital for postmortem.

Separately, a motorcyclist, Amir Mehmood was killed when a dumper truck hit his bike in the Nezam Bazaar in the limits of Basiakhel police station.

Two companions of the deceased were injured. The body and the injured were taken to Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital. Meanwhile, additional assistant commissioner Aminullah Khan on Monday fined several shopkeepers in Naurang Bazaar for violating the official price list.

Mr Aminullah checked the availability of official price list and weight of edible items at the outlets.

He imposed heavy fines on violators and warned them to avoid overcharging consumers.

Published in Dawn, November 24th, 2020