May 28, 2007	Monday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 11, 1428

MUZAFFARGARH, May 27: As the shortage of water is a global issue, the students of Government Girls’ College and Government Boys College in Muzaffargarh seem to be affected with international phenomenon. Visit the colleges during working hours and you will find scores of students around taps hustling each other to get a full glass of water.

In the boys’ college, where 1,800 students are enrolled, there is no arrangement for drinking water. The college’s water-cooler has been out of order for the last five years. The administration has now locked the broken water-cooler in a room perhaps to preserve the heritage or to show the students that there were days when students enjoyed cold water.

At the outset of summer this year, the students protested and asked Principal Shujaat Mand Khan to arrange at least simple drinking water, if not cold one, for them. The principal promised he would try to arrange a water-cooler for the college by April 12. When came April 12, students saw three water flasks placed outside classrooms in the main corridor of the college. One flask can store up to 40 glasses and three flasks full means 120 glasses while the college’s strength is 1,800. The college attendants fill the flasks after every period and put ice in them. Soon a period is over, students run towards the flasks to get water and only a few succeed while many to have to live with thrust for till another period. Faheemul Hasan, a student of inter class, said that he bunked off the class to drink water as only during the class hour he could get water from the flask.

Information Technology In Charge Muhammad Faheem said that four months ago the water motor broke down and the staff of the college got if fixed on self-help.

When Dawn visited the girls’ college, he saw a crowed of girls jostling and shoving up around the only water-cooler in the college. The strength of the college is 2,700 students. When the correspondent tried to take a picture of them, all of them ran away as no one wanted to be snapped as fighting for water.

College Principal Munuzza Baloch said she had bought the water cooler last year with the fine money collected from the students and the government had no role in provision of the water cooler. She also credited herself for installing a water filter plant in the college after a laboratory report declared the college water unfit for human consumption. A nearby textile mills dumped its waste in the ground which had made water toxic and unfit for drinking, she said.

She said the government provided Rs6,000 per year to buy ice which was enough for just two weeks.

But water is not the only problem of the college. There are only 1,500 chairs for 2700 students.

Ms Baloch said in winter, girls sat in the college ground for studies and other extra-curricular activities and in summer, students would get shelter under trees where sometime hot and stuffy atmosphere would render students unconscious.

The college got a bus 25 years ago and until last year, it was a common scene on Muzaffargarh roads. The bus provided pick-and-drop facility to students. After celebrating its Silver Jubilee last year, the bus bid goodbye to roads. The principal demanded the government provide transport to the college.

She said although the college had been declared a model college under the Chief Minister’s College Reforms Programme, no facility had been provided to the college. She said that Higher Education Commission had asked her a number of times to submit missing facilities of the college and she had done so a number of times besides attending many meetings in Lahore but nothing had changed. She said last month she attended a meeting under the chair of the education secretary in Lahore. She said she had concluded senior officials were interested in meetings only and not in practical steps. The only option left with me to refuse attending such meetings in the future to save myself agony of travelling to Lahore,” she said.