SWABI: People belonging to the mountainous Gadoon Amazai belt said on Friday that Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its leadership should fulfil the pledges it had made about construction of Utla dam during its previous stint in government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They said that with two-thirds majority in the provincial assembly the PTI leadership could fulfil its promises without any opposition. In fact, the pledges about Utla dam were made much earlier by various leaders, especially Asad Qaiser, former speaker of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.

In February this year, the PTI leaders had announced twice that party chairman Imran Khan would inaugurate construction of the dam, but he did not come due to his busy schedule. However, people of Gadoon Amazai region fear that after delimitation of the constituencies, Mr Qaiser might focus on new areas in his constituency and he might push the Utla dam plan into a cold storage. Sources said that the dam project costing Rs1.5 billion would irrigate land to boost wheat production besides meeting water needs of the people.

A PTI leader from Utla village said on condition of anonymity that Mr Qaiser was responsible for delay in the project and now after his win he was morally bound to lay the foundation stone of Utla dam.

People of the area usually bring drinking water from natural springs and it is difficult to dig wells in the mountainous region.

During a visit to this far-flung region, people said that in the beginning of July they faced hardships as most of the springs had dried up. Mohammad Idrees, an aged resident, said that they had demanded repeatedly for solution of the water issue because in case of water shortage the Topi tehsil municipal administration could not fulfil their water needs.

Akbar Khan of Gani Chathra said that 85 villages of Gadoon Amazai region had been facing water shortage. The residents called for a permanent solution to the water shortage problem, saying that it could be done with the construction of small dams in different localities.

In Gadoon Amazai region, Kundal dam is near completion, while former CM Pervez Khattak had laid the foundation stone of Bada Dam in February.

Published in Dawn, August 4th, 2018