British-era water supply system for Multan dysfunctional

MULTAN: The old Over Head Reservoir (OHR) and first water supply system with a capacity of 40,000 gallons introduced in British era for the city is one of the 21 dysfunctional water tanks since long.

Constructed in 1932 with steel plates as per Wasa record at water works road near Lohari Gate, around 80-year-old OHR commonly known as water tank was used to supply water for the residents of walled city by 2015 before it was dysfunctional. The Wasa sources told on Sunday that the tank was 80 feet high from the ground level which can store 1,800,000 liter water with a complete network of water supply. The OHR was closed in 2015 due to leakage which was cause of dengue growth, the source informed. The OHR was used to supply water to five hydrants before its closure, the sources said, adding that rest of the 20 OHRs had a capacity of 100,000 gallons which had been non-functional for the last decade.

The OHRs were built at Gulghast Market, TB Road, Shah Shams colony, W-D- G- blocks of Shah Rukn-e-Alam Colony, Mumtazabad, Qasimpur Colony, Timber Market, Naqashband Colony, near Multan Board Office, Langay Khan Bagh, Tukhlaq Town Hassan Parwana Colony and MDA Road etc. When contacted, Wasa Water Supply Deputy Director Abdul Salam confirmed that all 21 OHRs had been dysfunctional since long and water was being supplied directly to citizens. He said the repair of all OHRs had been proposed in Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2019-20, adding that 20 OHRs went dysfunctional ten years ago due to some reasons while the one at Water Works Road went non-functional in 2015.The deputy director informed that the water was stored in OHR and was supplied to the general public and when the level of water lowers down, the tank was filled again from tube wells connected to the OHRs. To a question, he replied that though fire fighting was the job of Rescue 1122 and fire brigade, and the Wasa help these departments in case of emergency by providing water from its five fire hydrants through turning on tube-wells.

He said the Wasa could improve water supply in the city if all the OHRs were made functional.

The deputy director informed that Wasa was supplying water thrice a day for two hours each time. Multan Municipal Corporation CO Shahid Iqbal said that he joined his office four and a half months ago and had no information about it. Riaz Khan, an old dweller of the walled city, said that the water reservoir were much beneficial for clean drinking water for them, adding that at times, they do not get water thrice a day from Wasa which causes problems especially for household women who have to wash clothes and cook food with this water.