Erratic water supply amid red-hot summer

Residents of Fazal Town Phase-I have urged Wasa officials to provide sound water management system to them and take measures for repairing out of order tube well located in Dhoke Lillyaal.

“Tube well has been out of order since three weeks, so there is acute shortage of water. We have no other alternate source to get water for drinking and other purposes except the costly tanker,” say residents of the area. Farzana Syed, a resident of the area says: “The water supply often gets faulty twice in a month. Wasa staffers repair the tube well but it again develops faults. Why the fault is not removed permanently?”

Another resident Nadir Abbas says: “We have no option other than to purchase overpriced tanker water. The delay on the part of Wasa officials concerned in repairing the tube well is caus­ing unrest among us, the residents of the locality. The concerned authorities should immediately pay heed towards resolving the water related problem faced by us.” “Water wells require regular maintenance to ensure adequate water flow. As a water well ages, its well yield tends to decrease, especially in wells that were not properly developed when first drilled. The Wasa officials concerned should take rehabilitation measures,” says Syed Ahmar.

Faced with continuous water cuts, Residents are looking for sustainable solutions from Wasa officials, whose inefficient administration they blame for the ongoing water woes. “The administration has failed badly. They should have put extra efforts to ensure proper solution,” they say.

A scholar living in Street 3 of Fazal Town known as Hafiz says: “Why some streets of the locality are getting less amount of water and other streets are receiving excess water, Wasa officials should ensure equal distribution. Leakages in the system are also reasons for the inadequate water supply. Water supply lines are not of good quality. Unless we improve our supply system, the situation will not improve.”

Under the circumstances, people have to rely on tankers for meeting their water needs. On an average, they purchase a water tanker at a cost of Rs1000 - Rs1500. “Considering that we have been paying for water tankers since long, the problem remains unaddressed. I see a link between the water tanker mafia and the Wasa staffers or their agents in the area,” says Arshad Rizvi.

“Making the problem worse are also illegal water connections given at high prices. Perhaps Wasa officials are not aware of such illegal activities of their representatives in the area. Such lobbies should be dealt with severely and Wasa officials must take action to tackle the problem. They must seize direct connections bribing these unlawful lobbies to get more water than the legitimate share,” says Sarwat Zahra.