HYDERABAD, June 26: Electricity breakdown in Hirabad sub-division on Wednesday led to acute water shortage in different areas of the city taluka.
The residents of the areas took to the streets and burnt tyres to protest against non-supply of drinking water.
The areas of union council-12 and 13 plunged into darkness after a fault developed in the public health feeder at 12:35am on Wednesday. Power supply was restored at 12 noon. Kalhoro, Journalists and Baldia colonies were badly affected. However, Hesco’s power dispatch centre claimed that the feeder remained closed for one hour and not for 12 hours.
On Thursday, the residents of both the union councils lit bonfires in their areas and block the main roads, demanding water supply to their areas.
City Taluka Nazim Haji Moinuddin Shaikh, Water and Sanitation Authority managing-director M. Tahir and executive engineer Bashir Awan arrived at the spot and gave an assurance to the protesters that water supply would soon be restored.
The taluka Nazim told this correspondent that he had talked to Hyderabad Electric Supply Company chief executive Tariq Arshad and he had assured him that power supply would not be disrupted. He said the Hesco chief had deputed officials at the public health feeder to avoid power breakdowns and an extra transformer was also being provided there.
According to the Wasa MD, the 12-hour-long breakdown of electricity had affected water supply to these areas. He said it took 36 hours to ensure water supply to areas which were located at the tail-end.
Union council-13 Nazim Majeed Qureshi deplored that no water had been supplied to his union council for the last 20 days. He said he had raised the issue in the budget session of the district council but to no avail. He said people had to fetch water from other areas.
WALKOUT: Hyderabad District Council members on Thursday walked out of the council’s session to protest against non-supply of water to various areas in Latifabad, City and Qasimabad talukas for the last several days.
The water supply issue was raised by Hussain Bux Hussaini and Majeed Qureshi. Miran Mohammad Shah, who presided over the session, suspended the proceedings for ten minutes.
Mr Qureshi said people were facing problems due to non-supply of water to their areas. He reminded that he had raised the issue times and again but the areas still remained without water.
Q. Hakim proposed the constitution of a task force to identify the root cause of the problem.
Mir Ghulamullah Talpur supported Mr Hakim, saying that the task force should be constituted at district level as rural population also faced similar problems. He said the members had failed to get the problem resolved.
Rauf Jafri complained that district officers were not cooperating with Nazims in resolving civic issues.
