KARACHI, Jan 21: The residents of Azizabad No 2 and Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 7 have been without water for the last ten days, while several other parts of the city went dry for the third consecutive day on Tuesday.

The localities include Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s blocks 3, 13-A, 13-B, 13-C and 13-D, Ranchhor Lines, Pakistan Chowk and all the areas situated in the periphery of the Civil Hospital.

Residents of Azizabad No 2 said that although their locality had been without water for the last ten days, the officials of the city government’s water and sanitation department have not yet taken measures to restore the supply, thereby forcing them to either buy private tankers at exorbitant rates or consume sub-soil unhygienic water at the cost of their health.

“The gravity of the situation could be gauged from the fact that a number of residents of our locality are nowadays digging wells on the premises of their houses,” said a perturbed resident.

Residents of Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 7 and other affected localities criticized the officials of the W&S department’s billing section for issuing water bills, knowing that their localities off and on remained without water.

They urged the officials of the W&S department to ensure uninterrupted and equal distribution of water in all parts of the city before issuing hefty water bills.

Acute water shortage continued to persist in various sectors of Orangi and Surjani towns.

The residents said despite the fact that their turn of getting the supply came after every five days the officials of the water and sanitation department failed to implement their schedule.

They demanded of the minister for local government and the City Nazim to help reduce the gap in their supply schedule as it was not possible for them to store water for such a longer period.