PESHAWAR, Dec 30: People in several localities in the provincial capital are facing an acute shortage of drinking water.

The worst affected areas are: Sethi Town, Medina Colony, Qamardin Ghari, Ring Road, Achini, Faqirabad, Charsadda Road, Bashirabad, Dilazak Road, Hazarkhwani and Pishtakhara.

Complainants said they had time and again approached the officials concerned and elected representatives but no attention was paid to the problem.

They said nazims always promised to solve the issue, but the promises were never fulfilled.

They said in many areas people themselves had managed to get water through boring, but they were unable to afford bills for running the pumps, adding that it also required huge amount to construct water tanks which could only be done with the help of officials support.

The complainants in Yakatuth and Hazarkhwani areas told Dawn that tube-wells were dug some years back under the Khushal Pakistan Programme, but the work had not been completed.

They said that water was supplied for 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the evening which could not meet daily requirements of people.

They pointed out that in most of areas the supply pipes had damaged and as a result people were getting sewage-mixed water.

“We have complained to officials concerned many times about broken pipes in the Hazarkhwani area, but despite promises they did not bother to repair the pipes” Mohammad Khan told Dawn.

Another complainant, Sabir Aman from Sethi Town said the water supply system was a total failure as it was supplied with a gap of five days or week and that also for a short while.

He said that people were unable to stock water due to its short supply time, adding that consumers had only option to fetch water from mosques.

Mushtaq Khan said the tube-well were dug without a proper planning which needed regular supervision by officials concerned, adding that politicians were exploiting people and civic facilities were provided only to supports of ministers and nazims.

The complainants demanded that the government should allocate sufficient funds for supply of tap water to neglected areas, so that the unrest could be removed.