KARACHI, June 27: About 1,000 houses of Union Council-9, Orangi Town, pay a heavy sum to water tankers to provide them with water as the pipeline severed some nine months back could not be restored due to the officials’ apathy.

Area people said that the councillor had acquired the necessary approval of the competent authority regarding supply of water through a separate 8-inch dia line. But the water board staff was not extending support and the benefit was ultimately going to the private tankers selling water on a higher price.

The UC-9 Nazim, Shahnaz Parveen, said that in the absence of piped water, life had become miserable for the people of her constituency and she feared the breaking out of riots and law and order situation.

She demanded that the water board staff and engineers should stop dilly-dallying and attend the problem immediately.

She said that the people of areas including Ali Nagar, Shamsi Nagar, Rustam Zaman Chowk and Ghaziabad were being provided water through three lines hooked with a 16-inch dia mainline that fed the area pumping station.

However, these lines were severed on the plea that unusual draw of water through the mainline was causing problems in the smooth supply of water, particularly when the overall supply of water had depleted, she added.

Since then, she said, people have been purchasing water from private tankers, a costlier and non-affordable practice for the poor and middle-income group people.

The issue was also taken up at the level of the Sindh Ombudsman and finally the water board and Town councillor were advised to take measures to relieve the people in question. During the last one week, there had been vigorous efforts by the Nazim, Naib Nazim and other councillors of the area for water connection, but no positive development could take place, Shahnaz noted.