By Syed Shamsuddin GILGIT, the bustling heart of Gilgit-Baltistan, is facing a growing crisis that often goes unnoticed until it directly affects households: pollution in potable water supplies . Recent social media reports and local accounts indicate that many water reservoirs supplying the city are not being routinely tested or monitored. As a result, thousands of families are unknowingly exposed to unsafe drinking water that is fueling the spread of waterborne diseases such as typhoid, diarrhoea, and dysentery . The Sources of Contamination Several factors contribute to this alarming situation: Lack of testing and oversight: The water reservoirs, including those operated by WASA at Danyore, have no regular mechanism for quality testing. Aging and exposed reservoirs: Many supply tanks and channels remain uncovered or poorly maintained, leaving them vulnerable to contamination from runoff, animals, and human activity. E...
By Syed Shamsuddin By all accounts, Rana Nazim of Juglote Sai stands apart as one of the rarest and most steadfast political workers Gilgit-Baltistan has ever produced. Unlike many who join parties for convenience or opportunity, Nazim’s journey was anchored in a lifelong conviction—an unshakable belief in the manifesto of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). I, too, as a neutral observer and an apolitical person, have known him since the 1980s and never once saw him waver in his loyalty or in his confidence that the PPP alone embodied his political ideals. Rana Nazim, as I learned, had earlier served in the Education Department of Gilgit-Baltistan, perhaps as a teacher. However, he later reportedly gave up the job to dedicate himself wholly and uninterruptedly to the party cause he cherished so deeply. Among the other common people I knew was Muhammad Afzal from Jalalabad (Bagrote)—an illiterate yet steadfast stalwart—who spe...