The Karakoram Highway (KKH) has developed deep ditches in the patch that runs through Komila Bazaar in Kohistan as authorities failed to maintain the thoroughfare.
As the only land route connecting China, Gilgit-Baltistan and the rest of Pakistan, Karakoram Highway is the backbone of trade with China. Any change on the route impacts traders doing business with the neighbouring country as well as commuters who travel daily between the two regions.
The Express Tribune learnt the ditches on the highway developed due to several contributory factors. For one, there has been no regular road works or maintenance since several months.
Moreover, a broken water supply line has caused water to flow directly onto the highway.
The four-inch-wide supply line carries water to consumers in Komila and adjoining localities and is damaged at several points, allowing water to flow directly on the highway. Over time, this standing water has caused the road to collapse and form ditches.
Walking woes
The stagnant water also makes it difficult for pedestrians to walk through the bazaar. “No one can get through without staining their clothes with stinky water,” said Shamsur Rehman, a social activist. “The pipeline that passes through an approximately two-km-long drain alongside Karakoram Highway has been leaking for ages and authorities fail to repair it despite complaints.”
Rehman also blamed the municipal authorities for the poor state of sanitation in the area that exposes the residents to environmental hazards.
Another social activist, Saeed, accused the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) of not ensuring regular maintenance of this portion of the KKH that has been in a derelict state for over a year. Saeed pointed out the 166-kilometre-long strip which passes through the revenue limits of Kohistan district is “just plain neglected”. He added Komila Bazaar was not the only bad patch; the KKH is falling apart at several other points such as Dassu, Pattan, Jeejal and other villages of Kohistan.
No contingency
When approached for comments, the public health engineering department’s sub-divisional officer, Zubair Ahmed, was not available.
However, an official requesting anonymity told The Express Tribune the department was running short of pipes as well as funds which remains the chief cause for the delay in the plugging of leaks.
He said the department used to have emergency funds but the incumbent government does not help, forcing the department to make do with the annual budget which does not offer contingency funds. The problem has been brought to the notice of higher authorities and approval is awaited, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 20th, 2014.
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