Silt removed from canal near APS irks students

PESHAWAR: The students and teachers of Army Public School (APS) here on Wednesday complained that the silt from the canal in front of the school was dumped on the main road, causing hardships to them.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Irrigation Department has started de-silting the canals in the provincial capital. The students and teachers complained that the Irrigation Department had cleaned the canal passing through the APS on Warsak Road a few weeks ago and left the silt removed from the canal on main road. "Earlier, when there was a dry spell this silt used to cause dust and other problems to the students and teachers in the morning and afternoon. One could not see each other at the distance of few meters due to heavy dust in the air as several vehicles used to pick and drop the students would pass through this dusty road," complained a student, Jibran Ahmad.

He said the students would leave home wearing clean uniform but it would become dirty due to the heavy dust on the road. He said the students were required to change uniform daily and needed taking a shower after coming home.

However, the students and teachers complained that the recent rain turned the road into a lake and there was dirt and filth on the road. The students complained that the silt and other wastes left by the authorities on road was now causing them another problem and it was difficult for them to keep their uniform and shoes clean. "There was a minor hole in my shoes and water entered into the shoes and soaked my socks," complained the 9-year old student.

The parents who use the same road every day for picking and dropping of their children complained that the road was already broken but the Irrigation Department made it worst after removing the silt left on the so-called road. "Nobody is taking notice of complaints as many students fell in the muddy dirty water on Monday. The small kids were the biggest sufferer that day," said one Ahmadullah Khan, whose two sons are studying in the school.

The APS teachers made similar complaints, saying the government and Cantonment Board authorities should take notice of the dilapidated road and provide funds for its repair. "APS has become known all over the world for the devastating terrorist attack on December 14, 2014 and this lone road of the school should have been the best one in Peshawar," remarked an APS teacher on condition of anonymity.

The canal cleaning exercise is started every year in January to ensure supply of maximum water to crops in Charsadda, Peshawar, Swat, Bannu and Dera Ismail Khan, but the farmers and residents often complain that the concerned department always failed in removing the silt in time.

The government annually spends millions of rupees on de-silting campaign but a big chunk of this amount is being wasted due to poor management and lack of accountability. In many areas, the silt is out on banks of the canals that again fall in these canals and causing hurdles in smooth supplies of water to crops. The province has the network of 10 irrigation canals having the total length of 2970 kilometers, irrigating 12 million acres of land.