RAWALPIND - Different skin and abdominal diseases are on the rise in several areas of the city as the inhabitants are forced to drink contaminated water due to obsolete and rusty pipelines.
Several residents of Boring Road, Dhoke Mangtal, Farooqia Mohala, Fauji Colony, Mehar Colony, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Chiragh Din, Galli Lohaaran and Dhoke Darzian are having a miserable time with polluted water tickling down their taps.
There are so many water connections are damaged as a result during the non-supply hours, the pipes are sucking the sewage water around the pits and the same water is being consumed by the residents.
Despite hue and cry on the part of residents, no action has so far been taken by Water and Sanitation Agency high-ups.
Most of the pipelines here are old and rusted. "We are lodging complaints with WASA officials to repair or change them but in vain," said Muhammad Nadeem, resident of Boring Road, while talking to The Nation on Thursday.
Earlier in the day, residents staged a demonstration against the WASA officials' sluggishness, he said, adding that about 100 persons, including women, gathered at the square and raised slogans demanding supply of potable water.
According to Saleem Bakash of Dhoke Mangtal, the resident have been facing the problem for the last many months but the WASA does not bother to rectify it.  "Several complaints have been lodged with the WASA but there is no response," he said. Besides being mud-coloured, the water supplied through taps here smells awful, said Sajida Bibi of Dhoke Darzian while talking to The Nation.