LOWER DIR: Residents of Timergara, the district headquarters of Lower Dir, have complained of an acute shortage of drinking water and inadequate supplies for daily household use, saying the situation has caused severe hardships for thousands of people.
According to estimates, Timergara’s population has now reached around 75,000, while the existing water supply infrastructure has failed to keep pace with the growing demand.
The long-awaited Timergara Gravity Water Supply Scheme, announced four years ago by former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Mahmood Khan, has yet to become operational.
S ources said that 16 water supply schemes, managed by the tehsil municipal administration, are currently functional in Timergara. However, residents complainedthat they were receiving neither sufficient quantities of water nor water of satisfactory quality.
Citizens expressed apprehension that the use of contaminated or unsafe water could increase the incidence of water-borne diseases, including diarrhoea, typhoid and cholera.
Medical practitioners warned that polluted drinking water was a major cause of various diseases and stressed the need to ensure the provision of safe and clean water to the public.
Meanwhile, TMA officials rejected complaints regarding inadequate supply and poor water quality.
They claimed that all water supply schemes were operating regularly and that water was being supplied to consumers on time. They also maintained that the quality of drinking water was routinely monitored through a water-testing laboratory.
Talking to Dawn, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf MPA Malik Shafiullah Khan said that Rs2.5 billion had been allocated in the current budget for the Timergara Gravity Water Supply Scheme.
He added that Rs100 million had already been released through Account-IV to the communication and works department for consultancy services related to the project.
The lawmaker said work on the scheme would begin at the earliest.
The gravity-based water supply project was announced by former chief minister Mahmood Khan during a visit to Lower Dir nearly four years ago to address the longstanding shortage of safe drinking water in Timergara. However, the scheme has yet to move beyond the planning stage.
Residents have urged the government to launch large-scale water supply projects sourcing water from areas where it is available in abundance and safe for human consumption, saying only such measures can provide a lasting solution to Timergara’s growing water crisis.