Islamabad - The illegal installation of suction motors on the water supply lines has caused immense inconvenience to the tail-end residents, leaving no other option for them but to purchase water from private water supplying tankers.
The head-end residents in every case get preferential water supply over the tail-end residents but they have still installed suction motors and are depriving the tail-end locality of their due water share. The matter is in full knowledge of the CDA/MCI officials concerning water supply system but they have failed to act on the complaints of the affectees. Resultantly, each tail-end locality in the capital city continues to struggle.
Inequality of access to the supplied water sometimes leads to untoward situations as well. The residents of sector I-10 are already facing water shortage since the overall supply was curtailed in the wake of depleting ground water level and lack of resources. Few days back, the residents of the sector I-10 staged a protest demonstration in front of the I-10 Water Supply Inquiry Office and blocked the road for all traffic. They burnt tyres to record their protest against the insufficient water supply. A section of the crowd also protested against the installation of suction motors at the water supply lines and demanded the authorities to sever such illegal connections.
A few weeks ago, a female resident of sector I-10/1 and the employees at the Inquiry office had a severe verbal argument as the resident complained about non-availability of water. The police had to intervene as the issue resulted in a scuffle between the woman and the officials. Silent protest at the Inquiry Office has become a routine matter as each and every resident complains about non-availability of water. Since the residents have failed to receive adequate water supply, they are getting more and more frustrated, but the high ups are in deep slumber.
Abdullah, a resident of street 69, sector I-10/1 told The Nation that they get hardly any water as the head-end users suck water through their motors. The suction has made it almost impossible for water to flow towards the tail-end of the system, he said. “We have repeatedly registered our complaints with the Inquiry Office but to no avail. They would not pay any heed to the sufferings of the locality at the tail-end,” he said. He further said that the CDA has failed to provide them with water despite repeated complaints. He lamented that they have to pay huge sums of money to private tankers for water. It is pertinent to mention here that the residents of sector I-9 and I-10 are also at the tail-end of the water supply system that provides water to the city. Another resident of the locality, M Aurangzeb told this scribe that after having failed to get water, he has now approached Federal Ombudsman.
CDA had launched a crackdown against illegal water connections and illegal installation of suction pumps on the water supplying lines in August last year. The Authority had asked the citizens including residents of government houses to disconnect voluntarily all such connections and water suction pumps followed by an operation against the illegal practice. Later, CDA constituted a committee headed by Member Administration, CDA to remove illegally installed water pumps and motors on water supply line but the issue remains the same.
The CDA high ups admit that illegal connections and installation of suction motors on the water supply line are depriving the other residents from the water thus creating water shortage in the city but they don’t seem to be willing to make a move against the illegal practice.
