BAJAUR: A solar-powered water supply scheme in Khar Bazaar, the main trading hub of the Bajaur district, remains non-functional despite being inaugurated about three years ago.

Local people, including traders, told Dawn that the scheme, equipped with a water filtration plant, was inaugurated by the former deputy commissioner near the sub-office of Rescue 1122 on June 1, 2022.

They said the scheme was completed two years ago, but it was yet to be made operational.

Expressing their disappointment over the prolonged delay in the scheme’s operation, the residents said they had pinned great expectations on the project to alleviate their acute drinking water shortage.

Asad Khan, a trader, told Dawn that the unnecessary delay in functioning of the project raised concerns among traders and residents in Khar as they had been assured by the officials that the scheme would be operational by December 2022.

Sohil Khan, a resident of Khar town, said Khar traders’ association had raised the issue with officials of the district administration many times, but to no avail.

He urged the district administration and the relevant authorities to make the facility operational at the earliest.

Meanwhile, an official source familiar with the matter told Dawn that the drinking water supply scheme constructed by the local government and rural development department (LG&RD) at an estimated cost of Rs5.147 million remained non-functional due to lack of pipelines connecting the scheme to the beneficiary community.

The source also acknowledged that the continued non-functioning of the scheme was causing damage to the costly equipment.

When contacted, an official of LG&RD, the executing agency of the project, confirmed the issue.

He said the facility remained non-operational due to lack of pipeline connections to the streets.

Work on the pipeline connections, whose cost was separate from the rest of the project, was halted after funds for this component were not released, the official, who wished to be unnamed, said, adding some sections of the pipeline connections had already been completed.

The official didn’t specify the required funds, but expressed optimism that the scheme would be operational soon as they received assurances from the provincial finance department to provide the necessary funds promptly.

Published in Dawn, March 30th, 2025