RAHIM YAR KHAN: Residents of Abbasia Town and Khwaja Bungalows said on Tuesday that Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa) staff have been dumping sewage into the Nowshera Minor Canal.

Local residents, including Ashraf Qureshi, Haji Shahid and Abdul Khaliq, said that a Wasa tanker has been consistently discharging sewage at various points along the main canal, which flows through the city centre.

Residents claimed that when they asked the tanker driver and staff to stop, their requests were ignored. The resulting stench has polluted the local atmosphere, raising health concerns. Furthermore, the canal is a primary water source for residents and livestock in dozens of southern villages where the subsoil water is brackish and unfit for consumption.

A Wasa official said the Municipal Committee (MC) handed over water supply and sewage disposal responsibilities to the authority in mid-August 2025. At that time, the MC provided basic machinery, including a sucker, jetter, and water bowser. While the MC records 4,800 functional water connections, Wasa is planning a new survey to analyse the city’s water and sewerage data, with a completion target of March 2026. When asked why staff were dumping sewage into an irrigation canal, the official said the managing director would comment on the issue.

Wasa MD Shoaib Fayyaz told Dawn that he was in a meeting and would comment later; however, no response was received till the filing of the report at 7.30pm.

‘HONOUR’ KILLING: A 20 -year-old girl “S” was killed for ‘honour’.

Reports said the girl, a resident of Basti Musani of Chak 17-NP in

limits of police station Ahmedpur Lama, had been missing since Sunday night. During a search, her parents learnt that the girl was in the custody of a local ‘Z’. When they demanded her return, local landlord Sadiq Musani assured the family that the girl would be returned. But later ‘S’ was found murdered.

After the incident, the family took her body outside the Ahmedpur Lama police station and protested against the murder.

Meanwhile, SDPO Bhong circle Ashraf Qureshi reached the spot with his team. Police are looking into the matter.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2026