Residents of Chatorkhand forced to drink contaminated water

Karim Ranjha

Chatorkhand, May 26 (TR): Access to safe drinking water is becoming a challenge for the residents of Chatorkhan, Tehsil Headquarter of Ishkoman. Groups of women and men can be seen on the roads, carrying canes and canisters, in search of clean drinking water. Some have chosen to use contaminated water of glacial streams for drinking purpose. The residents of Chatorkhan, Chinar and Aminabad are forced to walk to the villages of Birgal and Pakora to fetch water for drinking purpose.

It is pertinent to note that Chatorkhand is home town of Syed Pir Karam Ali Shah, the Governor of Gilgit – Baltistan.

Locals blame corruption and inefficiency of government and People’s Work Department officials for failure of water supply schemes, on which millions of rupees have already been spent.

A 15 million rupees water supply project is in abeyance for the past four years, due to a technically flawed design developed by PWD officials, a local person told this reporter.  Several other water supply projects have been implemented in the town but only a few hundred households have access to clean drinking water.

The local people have demanded of Pir Karam Ali Shah and Nawaz Khan Naji, the newly elected representative from the constituency, to resolve the issue of priority basis. The locals have threatened to come on the streets if attention was not paid to their woes.