Dry weather triggers water shortage in Lower Dir

TIMERGARA: The long dry spell has created serious water shortage in Lower Dir district and caused an increase in the number of respiratory diseases-related patients at an alarming level.

Though it rained briefly after the four months long dry weather on Friday morning, it could not break the dry spell.In a survey conducted by The News, it was found that various areas in Lower Dir including Jandool, Maidan, Balambat, Timergara, Chakdara, Talash, Adenzai, Khall and Rabat faced acute water shortage as springs, wells and streams had run dry.

The water table has depleted due to the continuous dry weather. The residents were forced to bring water in tankers for daily use.Bahramand Said, a resident of Danwa village, said the price for a single water tanker has risen to Rs1,200 due to increase in water demand in the area. Danwa village is situated just eight kilometers away from Timergara, the headquarters of Lower Dir district.

“An upsurge in the number of patients suffering from typhoid, malaria, allergy, skin, nose, throat and other respiratory diseases has been noticed due to the long dry weather,” said Dr Saeed Shah.

He advised the people to adopt precautionary measures and wear masks, particularly in the morning and evening to avoid inhaling the moisture in the air.

The agriculture sector was affected the most by the dry weather as the farmers could not sow wheat crop due to the lack of moisture in the soil. The farmers have no alternative means to irrigate their land and sow the wheat seeds.

“Earlier we were unable to sow the mustard and barley crops at the right time due to the four months long dry weather,” said a farmer Taj Muhammad Khan. He was worried that the wheat crop would be severely affected if there was no rain in the next one month.The people have been offering special prayers, Nimaz-i-Istisqa to seek blessings of Allah Almighty for rain.