NAROWAL: Up to 500 graves in the Nangal Sodkan graveyard have been under two to three feet of sewage for several months, while as many graves have already collapsed.

Residents say the village located in Zafarwal tehsil does not have any sewerage system, so the villagers direct the sewage to a pond located by the local cemetery. When the pond overflows, dirty water enters the nearby cemetery. Also, whenever it rains, the pond overflows and dirty water accumulates in the graveyard.

Residents say that from time to time, they flush sewage from the graveyard to save the graves of their loved ones.

Mohammad Afzal and Nasir Jafri said they use water pumps to drain the water from the graveyard into nearby fields. They said more than 500 graves in the cemetery had collapsed due to recent rains and sewage overflows.

Naveed Aslam and Lal Din said they had made several requests to the district administration and local politicians for the drainage of sewage but no one was ready to listen to them.

Amir Irshad and Rana Yaseen of Zafarwal said the Bagichiwala cemetery in Zafarwal city has also been under sewage.

Assistant Commissioner Arshad Wattoo said the water accumulated in the cemetery due to low ground level, however, the administration would use resources to extract water from both graveyards.

PROTEST: Shopkeepers on Eidgah Road protested the clogged sewerage lines on Tuesday. They burnt tyres to block the road and chanted slogans against the authorities.

The closure of sewerage lines has caused the accumulation of sewage up to two feet on the road, making the passage a no-go area. Citizens and motorists have to wade through the dirty water, while the road has developed potholes.

Citizens say their requests to the Narowal Municipal Committee and the district administration to fix the problems have not been answered. Shopkeepers say the problem has forced them to shut down their shops. Eidgah Road traders with several other shopkeepers suspended traffic on Tuesday.

Shopkeepers Muhammad Arsalan and Talib Hussain said that on the one hand, inflation and unemployment were on the rise, and on the other hand the sewage had closed their businesses.

Deputy Commissioner Saba Asghar could not be reached for comment.

Shopkeepers and citizens have sought intervention of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on the situation.

Published in Dawn, January 26th, 2022