BATKHELA: Out of seven million population of the Malakand district only 268,309 people have access to public health engineering department’s water supply.

According to the official data, there are 187 water supply schemes in Malakand.

In the recent past, the government completed a gravity-based water supply scheme worth Rs785 million to facilitate the residents of Batkhela, the district headquarters. The gravity-based system is feeding 59,125 people.

However, people living in hilly parts of the town complain the local government has denied its share to them.

The people of Thana, Dheri, Julagram, Matkani and Totakan areas complained that they got water supply only for one hour during the day.

Mumtaz Hussain of Thana said despite 200 per cent increase in water bill, duration of water supply was only for an hour which could not fulfill their requirements.

Consumers in Thana town said the public health engineering department did not replace or repair the leaked and rusty pipelines passing through drains.

Fida Mohammad, former Thana union council nazim, said due to leakages and rusting pipes the people received contaminated water. “The department should immediately fix the faulty lines and increase duration of water supply,” he demanded.

Published in Dawn, February 18th, 2021