KHYBER: The closure of Spera Dam irrigation canals for annual cleaning has caused acute shortage of drinking water in a number of localities in Bara.

The residents of Spera, Jhansi, Tandi, Gandaw and Dowra villages said that they relied on getting drinking water from tankers, which the local tehsil municipal authority (TMA) arranged for them.

They said that though the canals supplied water from Spera Dam for irrigating agricultural lands, yet they also used the same water for drinking, washing clothes and general cleaning at their homes.

Muhabbat Khan, a resident of Gandaw, said that TMA arranged for just one tanker for a large population of the affected areas that could not cater to their daily needs.

He demanded of the TMA authorities to arrange for at least one tanker each for every affected village on daily basis alongside expediting the cleaning of the canals in order to overcome shortage of water.

Meanwhile, Sipah tribesmen have objected to the construction of a new market near the site where TMA had earlier acquired a 46-kanal piece of land for setting up some official buildings.

They said that the land was joint property of Sipah tribe.

They said that they leased their land to the district administration for official purpose but TMA was now building commercial building on the said plot.

They demanded of the TMA and district administration officials to take them into confidence prior to use of their land for commercial purpose.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2024