Amidst the worsening water shortage in cities across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, an unnoticed development is the thriving water tanker industry, reminiscent of its lucrative counterpart in Karachi.

This phenomenon is not confined to arid areas like the southern district of Tank; it extends to water-abundant cities situated along riverbanks nestled amidst snow-capped mountains, such as Parachinar, the capital city of Kurram tribal district, and Timergara, located in Lower Dir district.

In Parachinar, a few tube-wells and the decades-old water supply system established over natural streams in the snow-clad Koh-e-Sufaid mountains would fulfil the water demand of the city, said Javid Afzal, a social activist and journalist. However, water scarcity began as the water supply system ran short of meeting the demand and a mass influx of migrants that occurred in April 2007 caused by sectarian clashes and militancy. The migration coupled with the government's inability to update the water supply network and the ongoing energy crisis has severely strained and disrupted the existing water supply system.

In response to the escalating demand for water, many people dug their own bore-wells and converted tractor trolleys into water tankers to capitalise on the opportunity and started selling water to the community. Water tankers have been steadily supplanting governmental supply efforts, but district officials vehemently deny this reality.

Fahd Ali, a local resident, highlighted the lucrative nature of the water supply business, where consumers are charged between 2,500 to 3,000 rupees per water tanker. He pointed out the irony of the situation, mentioning a nearby tube-well is funded by the government, yet the landowner claims its ownership, denying the community access to the water resource.

“Lack of funds and the high cost of land forced the government to construct tube-wells on private properties. After sometime, the owners assert their ownership, preventing anyone from accessing the water,” said Rafiullah the executive engineer at the Public Health Engineering Department.

However, Amin Turi, a tanker owner, complained of power outages. He can barely manage eight to nine trips a day. He shares that tube-well owners charge 400 rupees per tanker. The costs for consumers vary depending on distance – the closer the consumer’s location, the lower the cost. Turi mentioned that the rates start from 1,500 rupees and can reach up to 3,000 rupees within the city.

The KP government’s Planning and Development Department’s 2015 Urban Policy Unit report shows only 45 percent of the population is covered by the government-owned water supply network. Locals say the water shortage and tanker cartels didn’t happen over nights, rather a slow and gradual process attributed to the increasing population and subsequent failure of the government’s water supply system.

Tribal ownership of streams in the foothills is also one of the factors behind water shortage. “Tribes own the streams that supply water to the city for which the district government pays them annual royalty,” said a senior official at the Public Health Engineering, requesting anonymity. “The Zerran tribe frequently cut off water supply to the city after the government failed to pay them royalty worth 20.5 million rupees,” he told The Express Tribune.

The residents of Tank are confronted with a similar predicament where they rely either on the turbid, contaminated water from ponds built during the British era, located near the city, or buy water from tankers filled from tube-wells constructed just half a kilometre away from the same ponds.

“Despite a population of over 100,000, the city has only 26 tube-wells that remain shut most of the time due to power outages,” said Qudratullah Marwat, municipal administrator of Tank

According to Marwat, 185 million rupees has been allocated for the rehabilitation of the water supply system constructed by the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) with financial assistance from Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) in 1994. The system consisted of six tube-wells and three tanks with a capacity to store 100,000 gallons of water. The system collapsed due to lack of maintenance. “A team of UNOPS was scheduled to visit the site, but the visit had to be canceled due to security concerns in the district,” he said. Water quality, Marwat added, becomes a secondary concern for people when they are faced with water scarcity.

In Lower Dir, the water tanker business is experiencing significant growth in Timergara, located on the banks of River Pangora. “In this area, if there is no rainfall for a period of 20 days, the groundwater level diminishes, leaving the local population with no alternative but to purchase water from water tankers especially in Timergara city,” said Asim Imran, an education monitoring officer at District Education Department, while decrying water shortage in schools.

However, Timergara Municipal Administrator Muhammad Kashif believes there is no water tanker in the city and its vicinity, if there is any it would be in rural areas.

Socio-economic impact of water scarcity

Dr Zafar Khan of the Sociology Department at University of Peshawar said the socio-economic impact of the situation is a very complex and highly sensitive issue that is causing resentment within families, and intra and inter-tribal disputes over ownership of water resources.

He called it a classic example of the state’s failure, the exploitation of the poor by the rich and a threat to the joint family system where one family member usually earns to support an extended family. “A joint family of 10 would require many tankers in a month. Can they afford that? How will they manage with such a low quantity of water?” he asked, emphasising the need for thorough research on such issues to assess the impact.

The water tanker cartel in the current situation is relatively unorganised, unlike in Karachi. Talking about the complicity of water tankers owners and bore-well drillers, engineer Fidaullah, 40, a resident of Timergara, said that in the absence of rainfall depletes the water table, leading residents to contact bore-well drillers for assistance. “In case of a shortage, the drillers make excuses and delay their response, providing an opportunity for water tanker owners to exploit the situation and capitalise on the increased demand for water in Timergara,” he said.

The situation has serious psychological impacts on women. Naila Altaf Turi, a social activist from Parachinar, told The Express Tribune that women bear the responsibility of managing the limited water available within their households.

She said the added burden of ensuring water usage for various domestic tasks can have a significant impact on the mental well-being and overall quality of life for women. To a question regarding quality of water she said, “There is no such study available and people happily consume whatever quantity they get.”

Tribal disputes over water

Abdul Khaliq Pathan, a peace and social activist, noted that disputes over water resources in the Kurram tribal district are a recurring phenomenon, often taking on sectarian dimensions.

Conflict over lands with forests and water resources are common in Parachinar. Seven people were killed and 37 injured in clashes that erupted, on July 7 this year, between two tribes over a disputed piece of land, according to a handout issued by district government.

In 2010, around 116 persons were killed after clashes erupted over water stream between Turi tribe from the Shia community and the Mangal tribe from Sunni sect. Around 13 people were killed in October 2021 after both tribes clashed over claims of ownership of a forest with streams.

Dr Zafar was a participant in the land demarcation project in the Kurram tribal district. He emphasised that disputes primarily arise over lands abundant in forests, water, and minerals, which underscores the significance of these resources in local conflicts.

“The question is where does the state stand? When you make a resource like water scarce and inaccessible, people will definitely fight for it,” said Dr Faizullah Jan, chairman of the Department of Journalism at University of Peshawar.

Citing an example of militancy in the tribal district, he noted that during the period of unrest, the Taliban used to derive income from all mines and minerals in tribal districts. He now fears that the water business, known for its profitability, could potentially be taken over by the Taliban or any other militant organisation in order to exploit it for their own benefit.

“It is the state’s responsibility to fulfil its obligations towards citizens. After mainstreaming the tribal districts, it cannot evade itself from its constitutional obligation by citing lack funds,” Dr Faiz concluded.