HYDERABAD, July 3: In view of the fact that the people of the three Talukas of the city, Hyderabad, Latifabad and Qasimabad, are staging daily protest demonstrations against the acute shortage of water and complaints have also been voiced on the floor of the District Council, this correspondent had a detailed conversation with the managing-director of Wasa, Tahir Ahmed, to find out the causes of the water shortage.

He said 55 million gallons of water was being supplied to the people of three Talukas through seven water works/pumping stations. All the installed pump machines and motors, he said, were in perfect running condition at all the pumping stations/water works.

He said all the pumping mains, which carry water towards various parts of the city, Latifabad and Qasimabad, are also in good running condition.

He said the supply of water, however, depends upon the uninterrupted supply of electric power to all the water works/pumping stations and if any of them is without power supply, the quantity of water is reduced, thereby creating shortage, especially for the tail-end areas.

He said since there is no alternate to electric power, such as diesel or gas generators during the power breakdowns, the pumping stations remain shut off leading to non-supply of water to the hooked localities of the affected water works/pumping stations.

The managing director said due to frequent power breakdowns, there is a chronic shortage of water in the tail-end areas booked to the Hala Naka water works such as Ilyasabad, Gaoshala, Ansar Mohalla, Pinjra Pole, Gul Shah, and Yasrab Colony.

He said that 7,200,000 gallons of water per day (24 hours) are supplied through the Hala Naka waterworks to these areas. He said that in the wake of even an hour-long power breakdown, 300,000 gallons of water remain without being pumped thereby depriving almost a population of 10,000 of their share of water in one hour at the rate of 30 gallons per person per day.

He said the water supply network of Wasa is integrated in such a way that if there is any power breakdown at the filter plant situated along Jamshoro Road, the central pumping station located on Thandi Sarak also remains shut off even if power supply is available at the pumping station.

He elucidated that when the Thandi Sarak pumping station is shut off then there is no supply to the Pacca Qilla pumping station as a result of which all those areas which are hooked to the Pacca Qilla pumping station remain deprived of their share of water even if electricity is available at the Pacca Qilla pumping station.

He said the only solution to this problem is the availability of an alternate source of power so that whenever there is any breakdown at any of the pumping stations/water works, the alternate source could be pressed into service for the continuity of water supply.

He said that Wasa had already prepared PC-I titled “Supply and Installations of Generators at the New Water Treatment Plant and Water Supply Pumping Station” amounting to Rs56.14 million for installation of generators at all the vital pumping stations in April, which was to be approved by the Sindh government.