CHAKWAL: Hundreds of tourists who visited the fabled pond of Katas Raj during Eid were disappointed to see that the pond was filled with just two or three feet of water, despite the uninterrupted operation of turbines.
Many tourists visit the fascinating Katas Raj temples, Hari Singh Nalwa Haveli and the fabled pond every Eid.
“We could not perform ishnan in the pond as there was too little water and worship is incomplete without ishnan,” a Hindu pilgrim from Mardan told Dawn.
A few days ago, the concerned authorities launched efforts to fill the pond with water but in vain. A fresh de-silting campaign was launched by a cement company on the orders of the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB). Last Thursday, the authorities observed that water was still not flowing from the natural springs.
Therefore, a blue plastic sheet was laid in the pond then, in hopes that it will stop the water brought in by the nearby turbines from being absorbed by the dry land.
“However, even the plastic sheet did not help and all the water brought to the pond by turbines was absorbed by the land in an hour,” a worker who took part in the operation told Dawn.
There was therefore two or three feet of water in a small portion of the pond during the Eid holidays.
“We kept bringing water to the pond via two turbines for five days but the soil kept absorbing it,” a labourer said.