08 November 2004	Monday	24 Ramazan 1425

KARACHI, Nov 7: Private tankers had a field day on Sunday after various parts of the city remained in the grip of acute water shortage.

The worst-hit areas included Jinnah Cooperative Housing Society, Al-Hamra Society, Clifton's Block 2, parts of Gizri, Al-Hilal Society, Mithadar, Kharadar, Pakistan Chowk, Haquani Chowk, parts of Jehangir and Jamshed quarters, Saudabad, Mehmoodabad No 6, PECHS (Green-belt area), North Karachi's Sector 11-C-1, Gulshan-i-Iqbal's blocks 2, 4-A and 13-D/1, 13-D/2 and 13-D/3, and other areas including various sectors of Baldia and Orangi townships.

Residents of water-starved localities complained that though they were spending a considerable amount on the purchase of water from private tankers, they often got muddy water, at the cost of their health.

As water tankers are in high demand, they charged between Rs500 and Rs600 per tanker from the residents of worst-affected localities on the plea that they were nowadays incurring an extra amount on fuel owing to frequent traffic jams taking place at almost every important traffic intersection, particularly between 4pm and iftar.

However, a resident of an affected locality remarked that as a matter of fact, drivers of tankers and other heavy vehicular traffic such as long trailers and jumbo-sized up-country bound buses were themselves responsible, not only for creating traffic jams on various main thoroughfares, but these also often indulged in rash and negligent driving resulting in accidents.

Residents of the affected localities deplored that although experiencing acute water shortage since the first of Ramazan, the KWSB officials concerned had not yet been rectified the fault responsible for the recurring problem.

"We have brought the lingering water of our locality into the notice of officials time and again, but all our complaints had, so far, remain unheeded," regretted a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal's affected locality.

Similar complaints were received from the residents of other affected localities as well. They have now demanded of the city nazim and the KWSB managing director to direct the officials concerned to restore or normalise their water supply without any further delay, or else feared that they would remain without water even in eid days.