The southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which include D.I Khan, Bannu, Karak and Lakki Marwat, have been facing acute water shortage since very long, but the    situation in Lakki Marwat is quite worse where a large number of people hailing from remote villages are forced to share pond’s water for drinking and other daily requirements with animals.

According to a survey 80 per cent residents of Lakki Marwat don’t have an easy access to clean potable water.  Out of 365 water supply schemes in the area, 40 are lying dysfunctional. Every year more than 100 persons suffer from water borne diseases.

Last year in September widespread Cholera and Gastroenteritis   had claimed five lives in Jabukhel and Kattakhel villages and left scores of others suffer serious illnesses.

Owing to local traditions and customs coupled with gender bias, women and children are solely responsible for meeting water requirements in some relatively more conservative rural areas.   A 12-year-old Shaparai, student of grade 7 and a resident of Wair Kala village, carrying a can full of water on her head daily covers 2 km to meet water needs of her family.

“I fetch water on daily basis along with my younger brother Zardin Gul. Sometimes I feel acute backache and wish not to attend school on that day but if I don’t help bring water, our family will suffer. Also I miss my summer homework because of serious water shortage. Being poor my father cannot afford tube-well,” Shaparai innocently narrated.

As usual this year too different villages housing large population including  Zangikhel, Tabimurad, Wandah, Ziarrmulakhel, Banuchi, Umartatakhel, Melaukhel, Abdulkhel, Bulandkhel, Wandah Nizami, Wazir Kala , Baro Wandah and Karam are facing serious water shortage where they are compelled to use donkey carts, camels, cans and drums for fetching water from far off ponds. Locals complained that most water supply schemes had been installed in areas of influential political workers adding that a water tank was sold at Rs1,500 to Rs2,000.

Zubair Marwat a local reporter told this scribe: “Survey says 80 per cent of our population suffer water crisis. Around 40 water supply schemes are not operational in various rural areas for the last couple of weeks this forced the residents to use water from the same pond where animals drink.  Water is being provided only to influential people of the area. In some places machines meant for irrigation purposes have been installed which are unable to suck up water from the ground”.He alleged that in order to save money, contractors in connivance with the authorities of the Public Health Department had bored only 600 ft ground, although they needed to dig in at least 1,000 ft to catch up sweet drinking  water-- one of the reasons behind the faulty  tub-well machines.  Also funds for maintenance and repair are embezzled, he said.

Responding to complaints of the locals, Alamzeb Khan,   Sub Divisional Officer (SDO) told Dawn: “Only 25 tube-wells are faulty due to low voltage in some areas which are to be fixed very soon. Whenever available, water is being supplied to all and sundry without any discrimination. Funds allocated for maintenance and repair is spent on making operational the out of order water supply schemes.”

He said drinkable water table varies at different places maintaining   that at some places sweet drinkable water is available less than 200ft under the surface but a standard drilling requires 1,000 ft which is duly done everywhere.

He dispelled the impression that funds were embezzled. “Proper rules and regulations are followed in spending funds,” he said.

In some crisis-hit areas where tube-wells need to be fixed, residents get impatient and resort to using water from ponds which they have made for animals and as a result they they fall prey to different diseases, Mr Zeb added.

He also denied that the area had any chronic water issue. “Everything will be okay in a few days, there is no chronic water problem as such in district Lakki, services of mechanics for fixing faulty tube-wells   from Lahore have been hired, not a single irrigation machine has been installed in place of water supply scheme,” Mr Zeb clarified.

Mr Marwat said that more than 100 village dwellers suffer every year from contaminated water diseases and had claimed several precious lives mostly of women and children.

“Many are forced to migrate to places near Lakki city where intensity of water scarcity is low.  Unfortunately till today doctors have not taken sample of the contaminated water to find out how much hazardous it is for human health.”

Hasan Gul a resident of Wandah village faced a tragic incident last week when his wife while carrying a heavy water bucket on her head suffered miscarriage. “We are a family of 10, my wife Gul Adama went to fetch  water from a neighbour’s  tube-well half km away when came back  she told me that she was having a serious abdominal pain, I immediately took  her to a nearby health unit where she suffered miscarriage. Thanks God at least her life was saved. Incidents like this are common in remote villages.”Dr Ghulam Ali Medical Superintend of Lakki City hospital told Dawn: “Cholera and gastro break out sporadically every year during the months of August, September and October when water crisis becomes acute in the area.  Many people mostly women and children catch a mixed type of cholera and gastroenteritis diseases caused by contaminated water. Sample has not been taken to check as to what extent it is hazardous for human consumption.  The break-out puts us in great trouble because we are unable to accommodate so many patients for lack of facilities; we then dispatch UN teams to affected areas.”

Locals complained that Lakki district is represented by three MPAs, one MNA and one senator but never have they raised this serious issue at any forum. “How unlucky we residents of Lakki are where people of other areas demand employment, infrastructure and other facilities from their representatives, we beg for a few drops of clean drinkable water in our areas,” Naseer Jab lamented.