Growing Water Scarcity and Human Losses in Hunza
By Imran Khan Hunzai
Providing basic necessities, including education, health, food, electricity, water and shelter, to all citizens is the primary responsibility of every state and its institutions. But people in our communities have no option but to address major issues on their own, putting their lives and limbs at risk.
An, unfortunate, example is a recent tragic incident in which we lost two senior citizens while three are seriously injured as a during the maintenance of irrigation channels in Aliabad, Hunza.
Maintenance of irrigation system is not the responsibility of individuals or local communities, but they are working on voluntary basis, because they have no other option
Hunza, a major tourist destination in Gilgit-Baltistan, is seriously suffering becaue of lack of many basic necessities. Water scarcity is one of most serious issue, which is rapdily growing in the region due to mismanagement of irrigation system. Whilethe Hunza district administration has been giving traditional statements regarding resolution of these issues, no tangible action has been taken so far. The political leadership has also failed to address these basis issues.
Shortage of electricity in Hunza is also one of the major issue since many years but unfortunately, so far, only fake commitments and political point scoring by politicians can be seen.
Political leadership and Non-governmental Organisations must work together to overcome these serious challenges on urgent basis, so that human losses can be avoided in the future. Chief minister of Government of Gilgit Baltistan should take immediate notice of human losses during the maintenance of irrigation channels and take corrective actions.
Aliabad is one of most populace cities in Gilgit-Baltistan, needing huge amount of water for residents, as well as myriad offices and commercial establishments. Despite of demands by the locals, the relevant departments have not taken any action due to which the situation has exacerbated and has reached a crisis point. This negligence and ineptness needs to be addressed by the regional government and administration to ensure better quality of life for the residents and visitors.
The whole water-supply mechanism for domestic consumption, as well as irrigation, needs to be overhauled to avoid future fatalities and breakout of diseases. Government and non-government organizations, community organizations and the administration will have to come together and think hard and fast about resolution of these issues.
The contributor is a social and political activist. He can be reached at imranjaturie126@gmail.com.
