KOHAT, July 19: The acute water shortage and long power breakdowns has badly affected the normal life in the whole Kohat division where people are facing extremely hot weather for the last one week.

The people including women staged protests meetings on Thursday in Chakarkot, the constituency of the district Nazim Engineer Malik Asad, the main city, Hangu Road and Rawalpindi Road demanding regular supply of potable water through water tanks to the affected parts. They also blocked roads to register their protest but still to no avail.

A delegation from the city met Nazim Tariq Hussain Shah and complained about the apathy of the MC in solving the problem.

They informed him that instead of three times a day water was being released only twice and that too for only 15 minutes. They complained that when they checked the register the tubewell operators had mentioned routine timings in the register.

According to the MC timings the water had to be released three times a day i.e. from 5am to 7am, 2pm to 3pm and in the evening from 6pm to 8pm. Contrary to that the water from all the tubewells was being supplied for hardly 5 to 10 minutes.

There was a great fear of spread of epidemics because people had no water to wash their homes, clothes, take bath whereas the children had already developed rash on their heads, necks and legs.

In several parts of the area the people were forced to fetch water from the Kohat springs to prepare meals. The refugees were also selling water for Rs20 per drum.

The MC authorities when contacted said that in some parts the water-level had fallen to a danger mark and deep digging had become necessary. However, on Bannu road and city areas the engineers were trying to replace the faulty valves and repair the tubewells.

Similarly, three major power breakdowns had hit Kohat division during the last three days with no remedy in sight.

The duration of each breakdown during the night was more than 10 hours, this was apart from the routine load-shedding carried out in the morning hours.

The Wapda officials said that some major faults were caused by strong winds and the staff was carrying out daily patrolling to check the lines and repair the system. They said that the gadgets including the transformers and poles were very old and need to be replaced on emergency basis for regular power supply.