Mandi Bahauddin: June 26, 2011. (By Sher Gondal) Encroachments upon land reserved for common purposes in villages are on the increase in rural areas. Almost every village in Punjab has more than one pond for the purpose of storage of rain water, watering animals, and digging moistened earth for plastering mud houses. This common facility has been there in every village since centuries. Of late the land mafia has started occupying these ponds and raising illegal buildings thereon in connivance with the officials of the revenue department. Such encroachments have blocked drainage system of villages. Resultantly drainage passages overflow and villages’ streets look like ponds. During rainy season, streets are flooded and water enters the houses, causing intolerable nuisance to poor villagers. Encroachments upon ponds have deprived villagers of great facility for watering animals and taking out moistened earth for plastering their houses. Moistened earth was also used for other domestic purposes like making mud fireplaces and earthen pots. The villagers of Mandi Bahauddin district have urged provincial government to take notice of this common nuisance being faced by them and revive village ponds after removing illegal encroachments.