HYDERABAD, June 19: The supply of water to three Talukas of Hyderabad remained suspended on Thursday following disruption in the power supply to the main filter plant of the Hyderabad Development Authority on Wednesday in the wake of the rain. Same is the case with the power supply to other areas of the city, Qasimabad and Latifabad.
The power supply to the city was suspended after rain lashed the city for more than half an hour.
The rain accompanied by lightning and heavy dust-storm uprooted many billboards, electric poles and trees on the roads. The main incident took place near the Rajputana Hospital where six electricity poles fell, resulting in disruption in the power supply to the HDA’s filter plant. As a result of the incident, the filter plant could not ensure water supply to the three Talukas till Thursday.
Hesco officials began the work to put the poles in place again so that the water supply could be resumed. The work was in progress till Thursday evening.
An official of the Wasa told Dawn over the telephone that it would take 24 hours for restoration of normal supply of water because in any such eventuality the entire cycle of water supply is reversed.
The worsening situation of water supply led to protests by the people of Gujrati Para, who blocked the railway crossing in the Tando Yousuf area protesting the non-supply of water.
In another protest, residents of Islamabad Mohallah blocked the Gharibabad Bridge Chowk at the Qazi Abdul Qayyum Road. They were demanding the water supply to their areas.
The SHO, Fort police station, told the protesters that water would be supplied as soon as possible because work was going on reinstalling the electricity poles.
The people of the areas passed a sleepless night as an aftermath of Wednesday’s rain that brought a pleasant change in the weather on the one hand and disruption in the power supply on the other.
Reports suggest that power consumers made numerous complaints to Hesco officials, which fell on deaf ears.
A resident of Unit No5, Latifabad, Attiqur Rehman, said that on Thursday morning he himself went to the Umeed Ali sub-division to take Hesco linemen to get the fault repaired at the Zohaib Centre after his area remained without power supply since Wednesday evening.
Two transformers in Gari Khata sub-division, near the Hopeful High School, and Doaba police line stopped working, leading to suspension in electric supply to nearby areas. These could not be repaired till Thursday morning.
Three poles also fell on Jail Road that led to disruption in the power supply to Kalhoro and Journalist Colony on Wednesday night.
The non-supply of electricity also badly affected the working of pumping stations of the HDA in different areas. The generators of the HDA and their batteries remained out of order as well.
Numerous complaints were received from people living in the areas of Gari Khata and Saddar sub-divisions of Hesco, where electricity was playing hide and seek till Thursday evening.
Knee-deep water accumulated in most of the areas of Latifabad Taluka and low-lying areas of City Taluka.
According to the Taluka City Council (TCC) Nazim, Haji Moinuddin Sheikh, the situation at the New Cloth Market was the worst where rain water could not be drained out till Thursday.
Holding the HDA responsible for it, he said that generators of the HDA never remained in working condition which aggravated the problem.
Mr Sheikh pointed out that the sewerage line in the area was choked with the result that rain water got mixed with the sewage.
He said that due to non-supply of electricity to HDA’s pumping station, near the Shahbaz Building, fire tenders could not get water for supplying drinking water to residents in different areas.
He stated that the road was also damaged due to accumulation of water.
He said that the pumping station in Effendi town was not working.
Likewise, the Latifabad Taluka Nazim, Abdul Jabbar Khan, said that the situation in Latifabad was no different.
He said that non-supply of electricity created hurdles in draining out rainwater, and added that efforts were undertaken to restore the power supply in different areas.
Wasa XEN Basheer Awan said that the water supply was resumed to Gujrati Para at 4pm as the electricity to the filter plant of the HDA was restored after repair work. He said that the areas of Pathan Colony, Tilak Incline, Gharibabad and other areas would get water supply late Thursday night.