ABBOTTABAD: The local residents have complained about the prolonged water shortage and said they’re been pushed from pillar to post to fetch water for domestic use.

They told Dawn that the areas worst hit by water crisis included Kunj, Kehal, Karimpura and Malikpura.

The people said it was ironic that most city areas didn’t get water supply though it was rainy season.

They criticised the Water and Sanitation Agency and Tehsil Municipal Administration for blaming each other for the crisis instead of taking corrective measures.

The people said the TMA used to supply water until the formation of the Water and Sanitation Agency, which was later given the task.

Residents flay Wasa, TMA for blaming each other instead of taking corrective steps

They insisted that whenever it rained in Abbottabad city and adjoining hilly areas, water supply to them came to a halt as mud and sand chocked water tanks and taps.

The residents said the Wasa cleared water tanks of mud and sand only after rains eased and thus, restoring water supply to the city.

The Wasa officials claimed that the water supply system introduced by the TMA with the financial assistance of the Japanese government was faulty.

They said water was supplied to the city on alternate days but the supply remained suspended during rainy days.

The officials said the TMA continued to collect water charges from the residents.

APPOINTMENTS: Members of the Abbottabad Tehsil Municipal Council on Thursday accused the Board of Governors of the Ayub Medical Teaching Hospital of overstepping powers by making appointments to the hospital.

During a meeting here on Thursday, the councillors insisted that the board wasn’t authorised to make appointments to the hospital.

They said the board advertised the hospital’s posts for the local residents but it later asked the people from across the province to apply for them by violating its mandate.

The councillors insisted that under the rules, the hospital would make appointments up to BPS-7 from among residents of Abbottabad district and from BPS-7 to BPS-16 from among residents of Hazara division.

They also alleged that the board was violating rules by promoting the ‘unqualified’ hospital staff members.

MOU SIGNED: The Department of Pharmacy of the Comsats University Islamabad’s Abbottabad campus and King Abdullah Teaching Hospital, Mansehra, signed a memorandum of understanding here on Friday for bilateral collaboration on academic training, facilitation, research and human resource development.

The MoU was signed by CUI additional registrar (academics) Sadaat Iqbal and Kath medical superintendent Dr Javed Khan Tanoli during a special ceremony.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2018