70% of Noorpur Thal still without clean drinking water

Area is plagued with several waterborne diseases including hepatitis C

NOORPUR THAL: About two-thirds of the urban population of Noorpur Thal tehsil still lacks the facility of water supply due to which the citizens are forced to drink underground water.

Local residents have been protesting against the administration due to the contamination of water. Reportedly, citizens were facing difficulty in breathing owing to the foul smell which has spread in the area because of the presence of sewage waste in the water pond, located in the centre of the city.

They argued that instead of eliminating dirt from this pond, sewage waste is actively being flushed in this pond which has led to the erosion of the land.

The pond covers an area of more than three acres and is located adjacent to the walls of a government rest house, district public school and officers’ colony.

The populations living nearby have to bear the consequences as they suffer from the dissemination of dangerous diseases and medical conditions including itching, tuberculosis and heart diseases.

It has been 38 years since Noorpur Thal got the status of tehsil but the problems of the region are the same as before and the standard of living of local people is declining amid lack of basic facilities.

Noorpur Thal is among the most underdeveloped tehsils of Punjab. Several development projects launched in the tehsil were left incomplete.

The office of Rescue 1122, built two years ago, is still understaffed and has not been made functional. In case of any accident or fire, the fire brigade is called from Joharabad, 65 kilometers away.

All connecting roads of Noorpur Thal, including Jhang Road, Bhakkar Road, Shahwala South Road and Quaidabad Road are in a dilapidated condition, wasting hours of the commuters’ time. The condition of the roads also causes several accidents every week. Local people say no road has been repaired or rebuilt in the area during the past decade.

A local resident, Muhammad Shoaib Malik, while talking to The Express Tribune, said a large number of youngsters of the tehsil had played their role in making the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) successful by voting in the name of change but even after two years the condition of Noorpur Thal is the same.

“Not a single development project has been started here yet,” he said.

Another citizen, Mohammad Shafiq Waghra, said Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar visited Noorpur Thal last year and local people informed him about the problems of the tehsil.

“The chief minister promised to solve all the problems but that promise has not been fulfilled to date,” he lamented. “We also appeal to Prime Minister Imran Khan to pay attention to our neighbouring tehsil of his Mianwali district,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2020.