Water is available in the entire district. Water is provided by canal which is the major source of irrigation and drinking water.

People in rural areas fetch water mostly from the canal, its branches or from stored water nearby. There is only shortage of water during the period when the canal is closed for cleaning. This is done once a year for a period of 45 days. According to the Public Health Engineering Department, 70 percent of the urban area of the district is supplied with water for drinking and other purposes by communal tanks.

Fresh water for drinking purpose is available only to a limited part of the population of the district at D.A. Yar. As mentioned, the majority of the population in the district rely on canal or stored water. The quality of the water is brackish. It contains clay and silt particles. There are raw water tanks in rural areas The water tanks capacity vary according to the size of the population. A tank is designed to provide 45 liters per day per person. The water is not potable. Filter units exist for cleaning of tank water in Mir Wah, Mango Suri and D.M. Jamali. A system of two tanks is introduced. In the first water is stored and detained to settle the solid waste down. The second is utilized to make water free of bacteria.

The Water Supply Administration comprises two Sub Divisional Officers (at Dera Allah Yar and Usta Muhammad). They serve under the Executive Engineer for Jaffarabad at Dera Allah Yar. Under the SDO at Dera Allah Yar are three sub engineers, under the one at Usta there are two. Besides the sub-engineers, there are operators, helpers, valvemen and clerical staff. The SDO office is responsible for the supply of drinking water in the district.

The is no ground water sub-sector in the district. All water used is surface water. The tube well system exists but at a limited level. There are a number of hand pumps with a depth of 7 to 9 meters in the area with water logging. The water fetched with the use of the hand pumps is generally sour.

Sanitation does not come under the PHE. The sanitation remains a problem at district level.

As mentioned in 7.1.2, the Public Health Engineering Department comes under the Executive Engineer, Jaffarabad at Dera Allah Yar. He is accountable for both districts. Under him are two SDOs at the district level. The Executive Engineer’s office comprises an accountant, a headman, a tracer etc.

The PHE Department does not have full jurisdiction and authority over sanitation. The district is depending on canal water for irrigation and drinking water purpose. The tube well system does exists, but at a limited level. The district population does not face lack of water, however, the availability of water becomes an issue during the period when the canal is dry for cleaning purposes. The availability of clean water is another problem. According to PHE sources, 25 percent of the population is being provided with clean water. The filtering system of water in the district through water tanks is inadequate. The cleaning of water is becoming an issue with the expansion of population.

 The sewerage system is not satisfactory and lacks modern methods. The PHE sources believe the remedy for this to be in the construction of a new system for sewerage. Because of the growing population, the storage capacity of water during the period when water is stopped in the canal is insufficient.

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