Around 110 agriculture tube wells are non-functional in Bajaur tribal district for a variety of reasons, leaving thousands of acres of farmland without irrigation water.
Local residents told The Express Tribune that these tube wells were sunk in 1979 after the government approved these boreholes and they functioned very well till the 2008 military operation in Bajaur district.
“There were three tube wells in Rashkai, Bajaur that irrigated a large area where fruit orchards are located. These areas produced vegetables, fruits and wheat but all the tube wells were abandoned in the military operation, machinery was stolen by local residents along with transformers and now these are without machinery, transformers and staff,” said a local resident Riazudin, adding that in other parts of Bajaur lack of electricity was a big problem even before 2008.
“There is severe drought in the district. Water is not available for irrigation as the district is traditionally dependent on natural steams for irrigation but these streams have also dried out due to underground water level going down each year,” said another local, adding that no local politician, MNA or MPA is willing to solve this problem.
“Everyone wants to start a new project to take credit and it is probably not ‘politically feasible’ to restart a project completed in 1979 by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) government.
Bajaur was once considered lush green which was famous for its honey production for centuries. This has changed in recent decades due to the lack of water and greenery.
“In the past electricity was available for public tube wells without any interruption. A few were made functional once again after the 2008 military operation but now electricity is not available and government has failed to install solar panels to run it,” another local elder maintained, adding that their agriculture lands have been turned into desert due to lack of water.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 22nd, 2022.
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