QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has ordered the Water and Sanitation Authority (Wasa) to resolve the water crisis in Quetta immediately.

Taking notice of the situation, the chief minister also directed the deputy commissioner to ban car wash with clean water and prevent the tanker mafia from selling water at high prices. Quetta city and its surrounding areas have been facing an acute shortage of water as the people are not getting water even for drinking.

The Quetta Electricity Supply Company has also created a problem for the people as it has disconnected power supply to Wasa’s tube-wells for non-payment of its bills.

Taking advantage of the crisis, the tanker mafia has been selling water for between Rs2,000 and Rs3,000 per tanker and the authorities concerned have not taken any action against them.

Meanwhile, a meeting presided over by Minister for Public Health Engineering Noor Mohammad Dummar discussed the water issue.

Published in Dawn, July 13th, 2019