THE Sherani district was separated from Zhob back in 2006. It is home to two tribes – Harifal and Sherani. It has only one tehsil and 14 union councils for administrative purposes. The infrastructure is in a shambles owing to official neglect.

The entire administration is divided into three units: district coordinator and assistant commissioner (AC) offices, the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) office, and other government institutions. As the Nadra office and some government institutions are located in far-flung areas, people find it difficult to get their issues resolved quickly.

The authorities have completely failed in providing healthcare facilities to the public. There is only one government hospital in the district and that too without doctors. There are three clinics and eight dispensaries in the district of which only one dispensary is in the Harifal region.

There are no medicines, no doctors, no nurses and no ambulances in any of the clinics or dispensaries with patients having to travel to other cities for treatment.

On the educational front, there is only one college, four high schools and a few middle schools, but none in the Harifal region. And there is no school for girls. Most of the schools lack basic facilities, such as provision of clean drinking water and toilets. Some do not even have boundary walls.

The less said about the electricity loadshedding situation, the better it will be. Voltage fluctuation rendering electrical appliances useless is a common happening. Sometimes, if we are lucky, we get up to six hours of electricity a day.

Then there is the issue of water scarcity. The climate change phenomenon has also affected the traditional irrigation system, karaiz, and that threatens to affect the livelihood of a large number of people dependent on agriculture and livestock. People have to travel to far-flung areas in search of clean drinking water.

Deforestation is another issue that needs to be tackled on an immediate basis. There is no clear policy on the conservation of forests within the district.

In short, the people of Sherani district are facing a plethora of issues that need a rather immediate intervention from those at the helm of affairs.

Imran Harifal
Islamabad

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2021