SWABI: The Bada Dam, situated in Gadoon Amazai mountainous, has turned dry, worrying the farmers and local people.

The dam was built to irrigate 3,000 acres arid land in the area and provide drinking water to the residents of the entire terrain.

However, the dam was found dry during a visit to the site. Dead fish were spread all around the waterway and the dry dam was presenting a gloomy look.

The construction of the dam was inaugurated by the then chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in February 2018 and its cost was Rs1.5 billion. However, an official of communication and works department said that its const was later on increased.

Another official, when contacted, said that the dam turned dry due to droughty weather and lack of rains in the current year.

However, the people questioned the storage capacity of dam. They said that water could not be stored in it for a long time.

Tehreek-i-Bidar-i-Gadoon patron-in-chief Ashraf Khan Jadoon said that an inquiry should be conducted to know as to why the dam turned dry.

Ghafoor Khan Jadoon, former provincial food minister, said that it was responsibility of the government to make clear the reason and the same must be shared with the locals because they eagerly wanted to know.

Other local leaders of Gadoon said that local people would provide for any project in future if an inquiry was not conducted into the matter. They said a full-fledged campaign would be run over the issue.

SUICIDE: A drug addict belonging to a village of Razaar tehsil committed suicide on Thursday, said police.

Kalu Khan police station officials said that Abbas Ali, 50, committed suicide by shooting himself with a pistol inside his home. He was seriously injured and later on succumbed to his injuries in tehsil headquarters hospital. They said that the deceased was short of money to buy ice drug so he killed himself.

Published in Dawn, April 16th, 2021