MANSEHRA: Residents on Saturday complained about an acute water shortage here amid hot and humid weather and criticised the tehsil municipal administration over its failure to make the shallow water scheme operational.

Mohammad Arif Rajput told reporters that the people of Mansehra city and adjoining areas had poor water supply for many weeks during the hot and humid conditions.

He said most water sources, including tubewells, hand pumps and streams, had dried up in the region to the people’s misery.

The resident said people, including women and minor children, had to fetch water from far-off places for domestic use.

“Almost 90 per cent of households in my neighbourhood have no water supply for many weeks,” he said.

The residents blamed climate change for the plunging water table in the city and its suburbs in recent years.

Residents flay TMA over failure to execute water scheme

They said until 2008, water was found by drilling 77 feet into the ground but the water table declined to 150 feet in 2015 and to 400 feet lately.

Mohammad Bashir said the excessive power outages had increased the people’s water woes as they didn’t have electric supply most of the day to operate water pumps.

Sadaqat Ali said the tehsil municipal administration had spent millions of rupees on the sinking of a shallow well near Bothkhatta stream to supply water to Mohallah Channia but it hadn’t made the project operational yet.

He also complained that the TMAhad suspended water supply to houses in Mansehra city and its suburbs from Bothkhatta and Ichar Nullah water schemes a few years ago but didn’t begin work on the Rs19 billion gravity flow water supply scheme worsening the water crisis.

FINED: Traffic wardens fined several drivers for violating rules hereon Saturday.

Deputy superintendent of traffic police Rashid Khan Swati told reporters that the drivers of public transport and private vehicles were fined over illegal parking and other violations of traffic rules.

He said the traffic police had significantly increased their presence on the roads leading to tourist destinations in the district, especially Kaghan Valley, to ensure smooth traffic flow and provide better services to visitors.

“We’re not ticketing visitors in Kaghan Valley and other tourist destinations over violation of rules in line with an announcement of the district police officer,” he said.

Mr Swati said a crackdown on illegal bus terminals had been launched in the district as transporters were allowed to park vehicles at designated places only.

He said traffic wardens had been deployed in Mansehra city and its suburbs to act against underage bikers and drivers on Eidul Azha.

“We won’t spare the people breaking traffic rules despite our repeated warnings,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 25th, 2023