LAHORE: The residents of provincial capital are grappling with shortage of clean drinking water as many of the water filtration plants installed in various parts of the city by civic agencies are either lying dysfunctional or not working at all.

As per official figures, 373 water filtration plants in the city are managed by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), while another 90 by the Metropolitan Corporation Lahore (MCL).

Half of the MCL’s filtration plants were handed over to the Aab-e-Pak Authority, set up by the last Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government.

Besides, several private housing societies’ are also running water filtration plants in the city.

Ayuoob, a resident of Ichhra, laments that a water filtration plant installed on Al-Aptageen Road had been out of service for several months, leaving the area residents without clean drinking water, especially in the sweltering July heat.

He says that the residents had to rely on costly bottled water as tap water in the area was contaminated with sewage and was unfit for consumption. No action is being taken by the authorities concerned to resolve the issue despite lodging of multiple complaints by the affected residents, he adds.

Similarly, a filtration plant plant in Qalandarpura’s main road is also not working, while its operation room has been occupied by drug addicts, further exacerbating the plight of the locals.

The traders and area residents demand the administration should either restore the plant or remove the structure altogether.

Another plant in Rehmanpura was also not working for the last six months due to technical issues, while its taps have gone missing. The area residents have been forced to purchase water to meet their daily needs and as the sewage-mixed water supplied through government water lines was not suitable for human consumption.

The residents complain that that Wasa administration is not addressing the plant’s technical issues despite numerous complaints.

In Mustafabad, the UC 206 water filtration plant has also been shut down for the last two years and despite multiple applications and protests, it remains nonfunctional.

In the same way, a plant on Manga Mandi’s Muhammadi Road has been out of service for a long time, while its building has become breeding ground for mosquitoes, with taps missing and tube wells lying out of order. The area residents have complained that its building has become a den of drug addicts.

On Shahwala Road in Johar Town, a water filtration plant has been shut down weeks ago and the area residents have been appealing to the administration to restore it to ensure supply of clean drinking water, especially during the summer.

Similarly, a water filtration plant on Mustafabad’s Khawaja Road also paints a grim picture, with its machinery rusting due to disrepair and compound littered with discarded items. According to locals, they have been without clean water for three years.

However, a Wasa spokesperson told Dawn that all the water purification plants being managed by the agency were operational and running as per their schedule.

He explained that the Wasa tube wells first fill the water tanks of the plants, and then start the purification process to ensure supply of clean drinking water to the people.

An MCL spokesperson mentioned that half of its water purification plants had been handed over to the Aab-e-Pak Authority, while the remaining ones were functioning regularly.

He expressed his ignorance about the status of the plants being run by the Aab-e-Pak Authority in the province.

Aab-e-Pak Authority Chief Executive Officer Syed Zahid Aziz was not available to comment despite repeated calls made on his mobile phone.

Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2024