Abbottabad and Haripur facing severe water crisis

ABBOTTABAD: A critical water shortage, fueled by persistent dry weather and plummeting water levels, is causing severe hardships across the Abbottabad and Haripur districts in the Hazara Division.

The crisis has left Abbottabad city and its suburban villages without clean drinking water for over 10 days, escalating into a humanitarian emergency.

Taps have run dry, forcing residents-particularly women and children-to walk miles daily, carrying heavy containers to fetch water from distant springs and streams.

Tensions are high, with reports of clashes erupting over scarce water supplies, raising concerns about public order.

Local social activist and advocate Obaidur Rehman Abbassi warned of a deteriorating law and order situation and called for urgent intervention by the district administration.

The crisis stems from critically low water levels affecting tube wells, hand pumps, and local rivers, including the Harno and Haro.

Areas like Nawansher, previously known for abundant water, are now completely dry.

The crucial Jander Bari site, earmarked for a new water supply scheme, is also facing critically low water levels.

Residents in mountainous areas, including Lora, Sleg, and Nagri Tutia,l have protested against alleged unequal water distribution by the Public Health Department, leaving many struggling to find drinking water. Despite repeated complaints, local representatives have offered no solutions.

Haripur district also faces significant agricultural risks due to water scarcity, threatening vast cultivated lands.

The water crisis is particularly acute at Khanpur Dam, where water levels have plummeted to 1,921 feet-just 11 feet above the dead storage level of 1,910 feet.

This critically low level has forced a near-complete halt to the dam’s water supply to Islamabad.

Officials report a dangerous imbalance: the daily inflow is only 16 cusecs, while the outflow (including 96.18 cusecs to the Capital Development Authority and Rawalpindi Cantonment Board) stands at 127 cusecs.

At this rate, the remaining water could be depleted within approximately 25 days.

Dam authorities attribute the crisis to insufficient rainfall in the catchment areas, with exposed rocks and mounds now visible within the reservoir.

They warn that without heavy rain in the next 10 to 15 days, water levels could fall to the dead storage level.

The situation demands immediate intervention from district administrations and provincial authorities to manage water distribution, mitigate public suffering, prevent unrest, and address the looming threat to agriculture.Relief now depends heavily on significant rainfall in the coming weeks.