Cholera-hit Pir Koh faces water scarcity

QUETTA:

The scarcity of potable water has hit the cholera-hit Pir Koh village in Dera Bugti district of Balochistan, causing further trouble for the local residents.

At least 1,700 people were infected with cholera in the village which is located in the mountainous region of Dera Bugti after local residents used contaminated water due to old and rusted pipelines.

As per the official records, at least four people have been killed in the cholera epidemic but the local residents claim that at least 20 have died and thousands have been infected.

There is no independent confirmation of the situation.

The provincial government claimed on Friday that the situation was under control but local residents and civil society took to social media platform to highlight the scarcity of potable water in the village.

A group of local residents and civil society on Sunday staged a protest demonstration against the shortage of water in Pir Koh village outside the Quetta Press Club.

They chanted slogans and demanded of the government to act before the situation results in yet another tragedy because the weather was unusually hot and the old water supply line has been disconnected.

The Dera Bugti District Health Officer (DHO) Muhammad Azam Bugti earlier told The Express Tribune that there were confirmed four death in the village. He said that women and children were among the most affected.

He admitted that the major reason behind the spread of cholera was use of contaminated water as safe potable water was not available.

He said that potable water was pumped to the village via a 12-km pipeline constructed by Oil and Gas Development Company Ltd (OGDCL) 32 years ago and it was never ever repaired or replaced as a result the entire pipeline was completely rusted.

“The rusted pipeline is the main reason of the contamination of the drinking water,” he said, adding that many water-borne diseases were widespread in the area because of it.

Local residents said that the ill-equipped hospitals in the district were also a problem.

Chief Minister Balochistan, Mir Quddus Bizenjo took notice of the outbreak and directed the health department to increase its efforts and provide health facilities for the patients in a timely manner.

The CM ordered an immediate release of Rs10 million for the treatment of affected people in Dera Bugti district.

Latter he announced Rs300 million to solve the water supply problems of the district on war footing.

Availability of clean drinking water is a serious issue across much of Balochistan, forcing people to drink water mixed with other hazardous minerals.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 16^th, 2022.