HYDERABAD, Sept 14: There is no respite in sight for people in inundated areas of Qasimabad and Latifabad where stagnant rainwater can lead to outbreak of waterborne diseases if it is not drained out immediately.

Residents of Qasimabad are draining out water on their own as angry inhabitants of Hadi Nagar blocked a road in the area in protest against stagnant rainwater. Almost all streets and localities in Qasimabad are flooded except main road.

According to Zahid Bhurgari, chairman of district relief committee and provincial minister for fisheries, Wadhu Wah will have to flow in reverse to take rainwater from Qasimabad to the river.

The main pumping station in Qasimabad is working but it can not drain out runoff of recent rainfall.

People are not ready to leave their homes in units 2 and 11 of Latifabad where rainwater is chest high. Unit-2 pumping station failed to function again in spite of claims by Wasa managing director that it was working well.

According to MPA Sohail Yusuf, of six machines installed at pumping stations only two of 25 horse power each and one of 50 each were working while a machine of 100 and another of 150 horse power were not working.

Latifabad unit-2 is a bowl shaped locality where all rainwater from adjoining areas of Autobahn road, units-6 and 5 accumulates.

The capacity of unit-2 pumping station was upgraded after September 2006 rainfall which had inundated the residents of Latifabad.

MNA Tayyab Hussain said that people of the area did not want to evacuate although two schools had been designated as relief camps by DCO.

Local leaders of MQM provided food to stranded people but some families refused to take food and demanded only rainwater be drained out from their area.

The situation is fairly better in city taluka which is linked to open drain system.—Staff Correspondent