HYDERABAD: Activists from the Pakistan Muslim League (Functional) staged a hunger strike outside the local press club on Sunday to condemn the worsening water crisis in Hyderabad, which they accused the Hyderabad Water & Sewerage Corporation (HWSC) management of failing to control.

The protesters also burnt an effigy of HWSC Chief Executive Officer Tufail Abro. Carrying placards and banners denouncing the corporation's administration, they demanded the removal of Abro alongside Naeem Shoro, HWSC’s current human resource chief, over allegations of illegal dual employment within the Sindh government.

Led by PML-F Hyderabad leaders Rafiq Magsi, Samina Leghari, Majid Shah, Fareed Chachar, Asad Ali Gaho, Faheem Sheikh and Sajjad Leghari, the activists stated that citizens were being forced to run from pillar to post as an incompetent the HWSC administration ignored the crisis. They argued that Hyderabad had never witnessed such severe supply issues in the past when the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) managed the city's water supply and drainage systems.

Rafiq Magsi alleged that the public was being hoodwinked with excuses of defective machinery, despite millions of rupees being spent on equipment repairs.

He asserted that the sector's performance had nosedived since the establishment of the HWSC, arguing that hiring new officers on a contractual basis had crippled the civic body and triggered a severe financial crisis.

According to Magsi, there is a total lack of oversight within the department. Protesters alleged that the chief executive was corrupt, claiming he had prepared bogus bills for fake contractors while no actual work was visible on the ground. Consequently, they said, the sewerage system has collapsed, leaving residents to face severe difficulties in their neighbourhoods.

Magsi further stated that Shoro, hired by the HWSC on contract, had turned out to be a "ghost employee" of the Sindh Population Welfare Department.

He noted that despite Shoro holding dual jobs, neither the population department nor the HWSC had taken disciplinary action against him.

Turning to other officials, Magsi labelled Executive Engineer (XEN) Allah Nawaz Abro as incompetent, asserting he had failed to maintain the drinking water supply at the filtration plant. Despite this, the XEN has been tasked with supervising HWSC projects worth Rs5 billion.

"He has made advance payments of millions of rupees to contractors for these projects," Magsi alleged, noting that the Khanpota and Misri Sheikh filtration plants were built in Hyderabad by the Sindh government.

He demanded an immediate inquiry into these projects, alleging that CEO Abro was "hand in glove" with XEN Abro.

Magsi also accused another executive engineer, Abid Shaikh, of causing massive monetary losses to the HWSC by validating past financial quotations, despite having been posted to his position just eight months ago.

He demanded that an inquiry be conducted into Shaikh's actions as well.

He concluded by criticising the divisional commissioner and the deputy commissioner of Hyderabad for remaining silent spectators while institutional resources were devoured by corrupt officials and citizens were left without drinking water.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026