KARACHI, March 4: Over 200 flats and houses, situated on Baghdadi's DD Chaudhry Road, near the Lea Market Telephone Exchange, have not only been facing acute water shortage since long, but are, off and on, supplied contaminated water.

Members of the affected area's committee complained that the locality's water problem had been lingering since July 2002, but the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board officials concerned had not yet rectified the fault responsible for persisting water shortage as well as for supply of contaminated water, despite lodging of a number of written complaints with them.

They complained that snail-paced pipeline repairs in their locality, which had begun on Feb 11, had also created water shortage in other buildings of the area, while the digging work was causing hindrance to the smooth flow of traffic on the DD Chaudhry Road and near Lea Market Telephone Exchange.

They demanded of city nazim and the KWSB's managing director to direct the officials concerned to expedite the pipeline's repair and replacement works, so that the residents could get potable water as soon as possible and the traffic congestion in the area could be eased.

Complaints of persisting water shortage have also been received from the residents of Hussain D' Silva's Block-P. The residents said that since water to their locality was supplied after every four days, they had no choice but to purchase water from private tankers at exorbitant rates. They demanded regular supply to their locality.