HARIPUR, Jan 13: In the absence of proper embankments and safety measures, Daur river continues to take heavy toll of the populated areas, orchards and fertile land at several points alongside its course in Haripur.
The departments supposed to protect the areas situated alongside the river from erosion, however, shift responsibility to the district government system and scarce resources.
River Daur, one of the two big tributaries of River Indus, emanates from the upper hills of Hazara and merges with Indus river after joining its sister tributary, Siran river, about 8km above Tarbela lake near north-east of Gandgar hill range of Haripur district.
It irrigates 80 per cent of the 77,836 acres (total cultivated area) in the northwest and southwest of the district through an old irrigation system developed by Sikh regime when Hari Singh Nalva founded Haripur in 1822.
The river flows 12 months a year but during monsoon the quantity of water it carries increases to the extent that it virtually paralyses thousands of inhabitants of the villages across the river from commuting to the city, besides causing massive land erosion.
During a visit to the areas on the banks of River Daur, it was observed that the villages of Dhairi, Shah Mohammad Ali Khan and Serae Saleh on the right bank and Makhan, Jama, Jogi Mohra, Pharhala, Mankrae and Gaar on the left bank were directly exposed to the danger of washing away by the river water.
Record shows that the river had sliced away about hundreds of acres of fertile land and orchards, besides endangering the populated areas of the villages.
"We had lost over five acres of land and now our village, a settlement of over 6,000 inhabitants, is exposed to the danger of being washed away," said Saeed Khan, president of the Al-Khidmat Welfare Society of Dhairi village.
He said a number of people had lost their source of livelihood as the river had swept away their fertile lands, orchards of Loquats, plums and guavas. He said they had long been running from pillar to post apprising everyone of the danger the entire population was exposed to, but every time it fell on deaf ears.
Juma Khan, another villager, whose clay-built house was partially damaged and remaining directly exposed to the river water, said he requested the department concerned and even the elected representatives about the embankment but none paid any heed.
When the office of the soil conservation department was contacted, an official who requested anonymity held the district government responsible of hampering the process, arguing that when his department was under direct control of provincial government they had over Rs0.7 million as development budget but with the inception of new system funds were curtailed to only Rs100,000 which were also disbursed in instalments.
The official said before this system his department constructed 177 protection bunds, 37 cemented bunds, 78 spurs, 38 cemented spurs, 16 cemented check dams, nine ponds, five cemented spillways and 10 cemented outlets.
To a question, he said over 350 applications were pending with the department but scarcity of funds was the obstacle. If a sum of Rs650 million was provided, he further said, his department could reclaim a big chunk of land alongside the Daur river and protect the rest of the endangered ones.