HYDERABAD, June 25: Sewage and drainage water entered the houses of several residents and blocked all the main streets in four blocks of Unit No11, Latifabad Taluka, when a 24-inch sewerage line burst at the main disposal pumping station on Tuesday.

The situation was so bad that the residents could not come out of their homes as sewage had accumulated in the streets of Block C-I and II and Block D-I and II.

The residents of these areas, which fall in the jurisdiction of Union Council 7 and 8, lashed out at Wasa and HDA for their failure in resolving the perennial problem.

They feared that the 24-inch drainage line of Wasa on the Urban Hospital Road had also outlived its utility and could burst anytime.

Latifabad The Taluka Nazim, Abdul Jabbar Khan, told this correspondent that the 30-year-old drainage line burst in the C-II block of union council-7 at the main disposal pump of Latifabad Unit No11 and the drainage water entered the houses of residents.

He said that the line was repaired earlier but it again burst as it could not withstand the pressure of water as the pipe was too old.

He said that the line was very old and it needed to be replaced immediately, and added that Wasa and HDA officials failed to rectify the situation.

He said that he had talked to the Sindh minister for local bodies, Mohammad Hussain, over the telephone, informing him about the situation, and had asked him to devolve the HDA and Wasa at the Taluka and union council levels.

The Nazim, Union Council-7, Ibrahim Chishti, said that residents were shifted to safer places after announcements were made from the Bilal Mosque.

He said that the people could not enter the mosque for prayers due to accumulation of sewage, which spread bad odour in the area.

He said that a population of around 12,000 of union council 7 and 8 had been affected.

Mr Chishti said that Wasa’s four turbines, installed with the financial assistance of China in 1992, were also lying faulty.

He said that the turbines were so powerful that they could drain out water accumulated in four days in just four hours, and added that Wasa deliberately did not want to remove the fault.

He elucidated that Wasa made a recovery of Rs9.8 million from its consumers but they are not provided facilities, whereas the areas where government officials live avail all facilities despite the fact that they do not pay utility bills.

The managing director, Wasa, M. Tahir, said the situation in the areas was under control, and added that the line had been temporarily repaired.

It may be pointed out here that the issue of the performance of Wasa and HDA had echoed in the district council’s budget session on Monday when the residents of both the union councils held a demonstration outside the district council.