LOWER DIR: Jamaat-i-Islami former chief Sirajul Haq has warned that if the provincial government doesn’t release water in the Balambat irrigation channel after Eidul Azha, the party will mobilise affected farmers and their families for protest.

Speaking to mediapersons in Manogi village during a visit to the ‘abandoned’ site of the channel here on Wednesday, Mr Haq said the three-year closure of the 76-kilometre-long irrigation channel had devastated agriculture across Balambat tehsil.

“The once fertile lands now lie barren. Springs and wells have dried up, and people are forced to purchase water through tankers,” he said.

Party’s provincial and local office-bearers and workers accompanied Mr Haq.

The irrigation project was launched during the then MMA-led provincial government when Mr Haq was senior minister.

He said the Balambat irrigation project was a multipurpose development scheme that boosted crops and orchards, bringing prosperity to the region. “But since 2022, the channel has been closed under the pretext of renovation and expansion,” he said.

Mr Haq said it was shameful that not a single mega development project had been completed in Lower Dir during the PTI government.

SLOW WORK IRKS RESIDENTS: The ongoing construction work on a six-kilometre portion of a road has become a source of great distress for local residents. Prolonged delays, intense heat, traffic congestion, and clouds of dust have made daily life miserable, especially for women, children, and patients.

According to residents, the absence of regular water sprinkling on the road has worsened the situation. Talking to reporters in Samarbagh on Wednesday, the residents complained people faced severe respiratory and throat issues due to the persistent dust in the air.

Saleem Khan Mohmand, a trade leader and social activist, said even after two months, not even half of the six-kilometre road had been completed.

He urged the government to expedite the construction process. He also demanded that the contractor be strictly instructed to carry out water sprinkling on the road two to three times a day.

Mr Mohmand warned people would take to the streets if the pace of work remained unchanged and immediate measures were not taken to control dust and ensure cleanliness.

WATER SUPPLY SCHEME: The water supply breakdown in Madinabad Shikolai locality here has forced residents to fetch the commodity from distant places.

Talking to reporters on Wednesday, residents complained tube well of their area had been out of order for past 15 days due to a burnt-out motor pump. They said despite repeated appeals to the public health engineering department, no action had been taken to fix the tube well.

Ijazullah, a social activist, warned if the fault wasn’t fixed within next two days, residents would block the main Timergara-Peshawar Road.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2025