BAJAUR: Residents of various hilly areas of remote Barang tehsil here have complained about acute water shortage due to drying up of natural springs and called for making swift arrangements for supply of drinking water.

Talking to this scribe here on Friday, the people of various villages of Barang tehsil, including Kohi Sar, Kooz Safary, Siri Sar, Pindakhel Targaoo and Charoogai Managai, said that their areas had been facing severe water scarcity due to drying up of natural springs amid extended dry spell. They said that the residents had been facing difficulties in getting water.

“We are facing serious water shortage due to drying up of natural springs, which are the main source of water in our areas,” said Haidar Khan, a resident of Kohi Sar area.

Abdul Akbar Khan, a resident of Kooz Safary, told this correspondent that the residents had been forced to fetch water from distant localities as local wells dried up or the water table had dropped considerably.

The villagers demanded the district administration and other relevant departments to make arrangements for providing water to them besides installing solar-powered drinking water schemes in their areas.

Meanwhile, the district administration claimed that efforts were being made to ensure availability of water to the residents in affected areas of Barang tehsil.

According to a statement issued here on Friday, deputy commissioner Iftikhar Alam ordered the tehsil municipal administration to provide water to the residents through tankers.

It claimed that following the DC’s directives the TMA had started providing water to the residents from Khar through tankers. The statement said that the supply of water through TMA tankers would continue till water crisis was over in the affected areas.

Published in Dawn,June 18th, 2022