MITHI, May 28: More than 40,000 residents of Mithi town have been made to consume untreated canal water due to a short supply to them for over a month.

A large number of affected people including Mohabat Rai, Ramzan, Ghulam Hussain, Shiv Lal, Tilok Chand and Akbar approached the media to apprise it of their grievances related to an acute shortage of water in the town.

“Water is supplied to our households from an irrigation canal. The quality of water is not fit for human consumption but we have no option but to use it for drinking and cooking purposes. The quantity we receive for a day is not enough to spare some for bathing, washing clothes or some other purposes,” they said.

They complained that the issue had remained unaddressed for several weeks due to a lack of interest and mismanagement on the part of the local municipal administration.

They said that no remedial measures were being taken to rectify the faults that had resulted in overflowing drains in many localities of the town. This had created an unhygienic condition in the affected residential localities, they added.

They urged the district administration to take notice of the situation and ensure adequate supply of clean drinking water to them as well as cleanliness in the town.

In reply to a question, the aggrieved residents said that the TMO concerned mostly remained absent from his office while the subordinate staff appeared not ready to pay heed to their grievances.

Accusing the municipal administration of corruption, they claimed that influential people and feudal lords of the area were getting water in a quantity much more than their daily requirement.

Residents of Islamkot and Chhachhro towns are also facing the water shortage and sanitation problems.

When contacted, an official of municipal administration said attributed the water shortage to the electricity loadshedding. He said a short power supply was affecting pumping of water to the town.

Meanwhile, residents of North Colony, Soother Colony and several other affected areas of Mithi have submitted an application in the office of the human rights director and district and sessions judge, Tharparkar, Iqbal Ahmed Khwaja.

The judge has asked the TMO concerned to look into the complainants’ grievances.