Residents of Jand hit hard by water crisis

Locals have to walk up to eight kilometres to fetch drinking water


Nadeem Raza Khan April 05, 2022

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The shortage of water in some remote areas in Jand tehsil has made the lives of over 50 families miserable as they have no choice but to fetch water from ponds in far-flung areas.

Underground wells have dried up in Nara and Malangi areas for the past few months.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Jehandad Khattak, a resident of Nara, said that the severe water shortage in the area has turned into a drought-like situation. “There was only one well in the area to meet the water requirement but due to drought-like situation and lack of rains the water level in this single well has decreased immensely.”

“The well in the boys' school in Jand has also dried up and the children are drinking water from a nearby pond which is quite harmful to their health, said Khattak, adding that the cases of stomach diseases are on the rise among children.

A social worker, Fazal Ahmed, said that due to the insufficient water in the underground wells, people are facing severe financial problems too because most of the residents work as labourers and they have to walk seven to eight kilometres to fetch water from other areas. This situation is causing immense distress among the people, he added.

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Animals are also badly affected due to the water crisis as they also drink water a few times a day and this is summertime. This is brackish water, which is obtained from ponds, he said, adding that dogs, camels, oxen, donkeys, buffaloes, sheep and goats also drink water from these ponds and it’s a pity that the residents of Nara and Malangi were forced to drink from the same ponds.

He said that these areas are hilly and rocky and the rainwater ponds are also on the verge of drying up due to drought.

Wazir Khan, a social worker in Jand said that he has written applications to higher authorities about the damages caused by the use of polluted water. However, they have not taken any notice of the situation being faced by the residents.

A resident of Malangi, Ayesha Bibi, who along with her eight-year-old daughter goes to fetch water said that they have left with no choice but to drink salty and polluted water.

The residents said that if the situation continues unabated, they would stage a sit-in against the government and local authorities for failing to provide them with the basic commodity.

Residents have demanded of Punjab Finance Minister Muhammad Anwar Khan, Member Punjab Assembly Constituency PP-5 Malik Jamshed Altaf, Attock Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Sindhu and others issue orders to ensure the availability of water in the area.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2022.

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