Loadshedding is so widespread a problem that virtually every citizen is enduring. However, residents of Malook abad in the mountainous Swat valley say they are suffering much more than their counterparts in plainer areas.
Since the majority of drinking water is extracted via tube wells and channelled to supply lines, no electricity means we have no water to drink, explained Zareen Taj, a tailor in Malookabad; an area which gets electricity for no more than 6 hours a day.
Taj said that to meet their water needs, the locals have to fetch water from far off springs or streams, some of which though might be only a kilometre away, but carrying water from them on steep hills is a “monumental” task.
“Carrying over 20 litres of water and climbing uphill is next to impossible for a middle-aged man with leg pains,” Taj lamented. “But alas we need water to survive”.
An elderly local, Khan Maula, said, “Power outages have transformed the entire social fabric of Malakand”. He said the people have deposited water utility bills up till June in advance but they are not receiving a single drop of water.
Apart from homes, schools are also suffering water shortages. Noman khan, a fifth-grade student of Government Primary School Malookabad said he feels thirsty and fatigued all day because there is no water to drink in the school.
Another local, Haider Ali, said that the people have time and again brought the issue to the attention of the local administration but to no avail. We also proposed the use of alternate energy sources so that during power outages at least the tube wells could be operated, “but our proposals fell on deaf ears”.
Residents of Malookabad have appealed to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti and General Officer Commanding (GOC) Swat to solve their problem on a priority. They also warned of widespread protests if unannounced and prolonged power outages are not stopped.
An officer of Tehsil Municipal Administration Mingora, Taj Malook, told The Express Tribune the local administration has no other viable method to extract water from the tube wells other than through electric motors. He added that water scarcity in Malookabad — having a population of over 40,000 — will continue as long as the area faces power shortages.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2012.
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