THATTA: Rehabilitation of a water supply scheme after four decades in coastal town Keti Bandar had brought smiles to the faces of residents of the town and its adjoining settlements.

The Rs187.219 million worth scheme would cater to needs of 10,653 population of the town and a number of scattered settlements of fishing communities, peasants and labourers along deltaic belt, said PPP MPA Haji Ali Hassan Zardari on Thursday.

He said that for years the fishing communities did not have any source of safe water and they were forced to buy potable water at exorbitant price supplied through water tankers.

He said that he was also striving hard to provide additional water reservoirs by the newly rehabilitated water supply system to keep the facility running throughout the year and also supply water to nearby villages through 21,000-feet-long pipeline in near future.

Hameed Panhwar, a local PPP leader from PS 78, played a pivotal role in the approval and execution of the scheme, besides road and other schemes.

Sajid Hussain Mallah, an official of public health engineering department, said that three reservoirs having capacity of more than 4.5m gallons would provide water to people through 41,000-feet-long and 10-inch diameter pipeline.

The reservoirs were being filled with water lifted from Joohu Minor — a water tributary and an offshoot of Udero Lal canal — and made operational with 89,529 watts solar system after chlorination process, he said.

Villagers Sattar Themor, Ghani Katiyar, Hassan Dablo and a number of social activists believed that availability of sweet water would prove to be a strong incentive for those who had left Keti Bandar to return to their town.

The rehabilitated scheme had been executed in 1974 but high oceanic currents frequently gushing into Keti Bandar and its suburbs had washed it away. Now, the banks of the reservoirs have been raised reasonably and strengthened properly to save it from the oceanic currents and ensure prompt water facility to locals.

The jubilation was writ large on the faces of local population for whom it was a dream come true.

Published in Dawn, July 10th, 2021