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PESHAWAR, Oct 24 (APP):There seems to be no end to the daily ordeal of 33-year-old Umar Khan, a resident of Mohib Banda village in Nowshera who bring clean water for his family by covering a long distance after his area’s water was not fit for consumption.
Every morning, before heading to work, he pedals nearly five kilometers on his worn-out bicycle to fetch clean drinking water for his family from a water plant in Pabbi Tehsil.
Since the 2022 floods contaminated underground water sources in his area, Umar’s life has revolved around three plastic gallons and a rusted bicycle.
“After my father’s heart attack, I took on the responsibility of fetching safe drinking water for my family,” Umar said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he waited in a long queue outside the TMA water plant.
“The water in our village has become so heavy that doctors have declared it unsafe for consumption.”
For three years now, Umar’s bicycle has been his lifeline. Like him, thousands of residents from Mohib Banda, Dheri Ishaq, Amankot, Khuretzai, Babbi Jadeed, Lala Kala, Tarnab, Akbarpura, Taru, Korvi and Khushmaqam have been forced to travel long distances daily to fetch clean water using rickshaws, motorcycles, and even donkey carts.
“We have raised the issue several times with elected representatives,” Umar said in frustration. “But no one listens. Even women and schoolchildren walk for miles to bring water. Their education and livelihoods are suffering.” Umar reiterated, “Our only demand of CM KP Sohail Afridi is clean drinking water.”
The struggle for safe drinking water is not limited to Nowshera. Across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), most of communities are grappling with a deepening water crisis that threatens public health, agriculture, and everyday life.
Despite legislative efforts and international partnerships, the issue has escalated in recent years. Experts warned of rising cases of waterborne diseases such as cholera, hepatitis A, and diarrhea due to contaminated water.
According to statistics, over 94% of residents in Peshawar and Nowshera rely on unfiltered water, increasing exposure to harmful bacteria. The 2022 floods worsened the crisis by raising groundwater levels and polluting wells.
Traditional sources like springs and wells are drying up due to declining rainfall and climate change, while car wash centers in Peshawar especially along Ring Road continue to deplete the water table unchecked.
In urban neighborhoods such as Hayatabad, even tax-paying residents often depend on private tankers. Old, rusted pipelines in areas like Gunj and Kohati have made matters worse.
Dr. Zilakat Malik, former Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Peshawar, said clean drinking water has become a major socio-economic issue in the province especially in Peshawar Division.
“People in Hayatabad and Pabbi wait for hours to access safe water,” he said. “Many have been forced to drink contaminated water for years, exposing them to waterborne diseases. The situation demands urgent intervention.”
He explained that while the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Water Act 2020 was designed to regulate water management, its implementation has been hindered by the lack of a functional Water Resources Regulatory Authority (WRRA).
Dr. Zilakat further warned that Pakistan’s per capita water availability has fallen drastically from 5,260 cubic meters per year in 1951 to just 1,000 in 2016 marking its transition from a water-stressed to a water-scarce nation.
“If new reservoirs are not built soon,” he cautioned, “the country may face food insecurity within the next decade.”
Amid the grim situation, there are glimmers of hope. WAPDA officials confirmed that construction work has begun on the Mohmand Dam Project, which, once completed, will stand 213 meters high, making it one of the world’s tallest concrete-faced rockfill dams.
The dam will store 1.29 million acre-feet (MAF) of water, irrigate over 18,000 acres of new farmland, and provide 300 million gallons of drinking water per day to Peshawar potentially transforming the city’s water landscape by 2027–28.
In addition, KP is working on several hydropower projects to generate clean energy and revenue. The 84 MW Gorkin Matiltan project in Swat, for instance, is nearing completion. So far, the province has completed eight hydroelectric projects, generating 172 MW of power and earning over Rs 5 billion annually.
Work on 56 small dams, costing Rs 26.7 billion, has already been completed, storing 281,410 acre-feet of water and irrigating 0.3 million acres of land. More 30 small dams, worth Rs 43.6 billion, are planned to tackle both water shortages and flood risks.
For now, however, the provincial projects remain distant promises for villagers like Umar Khan. Until pipelines are repaired, groundwater is treated, and policies are enforced, clean water will remain a luxury for many in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
As Umar secures the three heavy gallons to his bicycle, he sighs, “We don’t need charity or political slogans. We just need clean water—something every human deserves.”