Lacking necessities: With scarce water, tribesmen battle for survival

Water tankers are too costly in the area because of the rugged terrain.

PESHAWAR/ LANDIKOTAL:

The war for water has begun in Landi Kotal.

As residents run out of the natural resource, people in Sultan Khel area have refused to administer polio drops to their children if water is not provided.  Even though the political administration pacified residents by temporarily fixing tube wells, the water crisis still haunts the tribal people.

“We are going through the most difficult times in our life. Natural springs have dried and we cannot afford tankers,” said Muhammad Wali Khan, a resident of Sheikhmal Khel.

“Women have stepped out of their homes and spend all day in search of water around the mountains. They walk for five kilometres to one side of the mountain and bring water in plastic containers,” said Akmal Shinwari from Sheri Khel, adding that some women have contracted disease.

“Tube wells were made to curb the problem, but now since there is no electricity, they are also not working,” he said.

Jan Muhammad of Askhel tribe said that his sister fractured her hand and leg when she slipped from a mountain while she was carrying water. “One woman died last year from a similar accident where she fell from a mountain, while carrying buckets of water,” he added.

Another source of water for these tribesmen are water tankers but because of the rugged terrain, this source of water is too costly.

Zari Khan Afridi has been supplying water for six years now, but the high prices of water and the rugged terrain are a hurdle in his job.

“Twenty litres of water costs Rs70 whereas in more remote areas it can go up to Rs120, which is why people cannot afford full tankers and suppliers cannot afford to send half-full tankers for such long distances,” said Afridi.

Titi, a government contractor who supplies water to government offices in LandiKotal, said that he delivers water to Sultan Khel, Sado Khel, Gagra and Khuga Khel at least once a week.

“I don’t know how these people survive on one tanker of water for a week. Once I was not able to deliver water for 10 days because the roads were blocked,” he said.

A political administration officer, Arshad Khan, however, said the government has made enough tube wells and electricity problems will soon be resolved. He added that the administration also provides free water to certain areas.

“It’s not that the water shortage started recently, the problem has been there from the beginning,” said Khan. He claimed that several NGOs and government schemes were working in the area to solve the problem.  However, he was not able to name any.

The officer also said that they have forwarded a request to the Water and Power Development Authority for connecting tube wells to the power line.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 30^th, 2012.