Kohat villagers start building small dam on self-help basis.

KOHAT -- The residents of the densely-populated town of Sumari Payan here have started constructing a small dam on a rain-fed nullah on self-help basis to help meet household needs and irrigate agriculture fields.

They claimed to have pooled Rs10 million for the dam, which would have the capacity to store 15,000-acre feet of water sufficient for meeting household needs and irrigating agriculture fields in a region having oil and gas wells.

The residents said they had to bring water from far-flung areas for drinking purposes, adding a rain-filled pond to feed their livestock often got dried up due to scarce rains.

Majid Bangash, an elder, said though the work on the concrete-cum-mud project of the dam was going on at good pace, but the government's help was indispensable to complete it before midsummer.

Another elder, Mujahid Khan said they were building two dykes on one side of a rain-fed nullah to block water, while there natural blockages in the shape of mountains on the other side.

The elders said they were left with no option but to build the dam on their own as the lawmakers had made false promises.

The elders said a government water supply scheme had also dried up.

They said the problem of scarcity of water surfaced 10 to 15 years ago when the groundwater level dropped significantly.

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