MITHI: Members of traders’ organisations, general public and local leaders of Pakistan Peoples Party have expressed resentment over acute shortage of water in the province.

In Mithi, PPP leaders Senator Gayanchand, Dost Ali Rahimoon, Dr Manoj Kumar Malani, Nand­lal Malhi, Chandar Sharma, Mohammad Loond and others said at a gathering of party workers that water crisis in Sindh was man-made.

It had been created by the government of Punjab in connivance with federal government by stealing water from Sindh’s share and thus causing the worst water crisis in the province, they said.

They said that thousands of people would participate in historic sit-in against the federal government in Hyderabad on May 16 to be held in protest against water shortage.

They condemned a recent statement of disqualified prime minister Mian Nawaz Sharif in which he had attacked the integrity of the country and called for lodging a case on charge of treason against all those involved in the conspiracy against the country.

They claimed that the party opponents had failed to find candidates to field against PPP in general election from Tharparkar district.

SANGHAR: Traders and shopkeepers observed a complete shutter-down strike in the city in response to a call for protest by the town’s chamber of commerce against acute water shortage.

All shops and business centres remained shuttered throughout the day as traders held a demonstration outside the press club where their leaders made speeches, holding irrigation department, municipal committee and district administration responsible for the nagging water crisis.

Malik Sher Mohammad, Has­san Askari and others said that water shortage had been created deliberately. The deputy commissioner of Sanghar had failed to honour his word to provide water to citizens, they said.

They said that citizens were suffering due to incompetence of municipal committee authorities, irrigation department and district administration who had failed to supply water to a population of 250,000 despite having ample resources.

They said that they would continue the protest till the city residents were supplied adequate water.

Sanghar has been facing acute shortage of drinking water for the past three months, forcing the residents to use unhygienic underground water, which was saline in most cases, or purchase water at exorbitant prices.

KHAIRPUR: The shortage of drinking water has become serious in the town, especially in the areas of Osta Gahi, Ghareebabad, Dabbar, Panj Hatti, Babu Shah Mohammadi Colony, Shaheed­abad and Butro where people are forced to buy a gallon of water for Rs20 to 30.

As mercury shot to 43 to 46 degrees centigrade, the demand for water has naturally gone up by many times hence rise in water bill.

The affected residents told reporters that a water supply scheme had been built near Khaki Shah bridge to provide clean drinking water to citizens through tube-well but its system had been broken down for some time.

They demanded the authorities concerned take effective measures to provide drinking water to the town.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2018