Rawalpindi:The residents of Gulzar-e-Quaid area they were using contaminated drinking water for over two months have appealed to Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz to take strict action against Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) for its irresponsible attitude not taking any kind of action to resolve this serious issue. Some of area people were facing serious health issues after using this contaminated water here in Gulzar-e-Quaid Streets 26, 27, 28 and 29.
Some two weeks ago, the Commissioner Rawalpindi Division Engineer Aamir Khattak took strict notice of this issue and directed WASA to resolve this serious problem immediately but in vain. The affected residents have decided to start protest demonstration in front of WASA office from Wednesday (today).
The supply of contaminated water in Gulzar-e-Quaid area of Rawalpindi for the past two months has caused severe problems to the citizens, where dirty and fetid water is being supplied to the homes instead of clean water. An on-site assessment by a media representative also confirmed the poor water situation, where the colour of the water changed and pollution was visible, which could lead to a major health crisis at any time.
The citizens say that they have filed complaints several times with WASA’s local complaint office Gulzar-e-Quaid and Head Office WASA, however, only consolations were given by the concerned authorities and no practical steps were taken to resolve the problem. Locals revealed that due to this contaminated water, children, the elderly and women are suffering from various diseases, while there are fears that sewage water is entering the water supply lines. Citizens have raised serious questions about the performance of WASA staff, calling it blatant negligence and incompetence.
The affected residents have demanded immediate notice from the Commissioner Rawalpindi and MD WASA, warning that if the problem is not resolved immediately, they will resort to protest, for which the entire responsibility will fall on the WASA administration. Citizens have appealed to the higher authorities to immediately inspect the water supply lines and find a permanent solution to this serious problem, otherwise this matter may turn into a major tragedy.
Assistant Director (Water Supply) Gulzar-e-Quaid Muhammad Mansoor told ‘The News’ that we have decided to change all sewerage lines of 5,800 feet. He has admitted all fact and figures said that residents of around 8 to 9 streets were facing this serious issue for over two months. We have made total estimate and submitted it to Managing Director (MD) for final decision, he claimed.
