HARIPUR: The Hazara Electric Supply Corporation (HAZECO) has disconnected the power supply to all the tube wells under Tehsil Municipal Administration, as the civic body had failed to clear Rs450 million in dues, official sources and former local government representatives said on Thursday.
According to HAZECO’s sources, the TMA Haripur supplies potable water to its consumers in the urban limits of Haripur through a total of 42 tube wells. Seven tube wells out of 42 were solarized a few months back, while 35 were still connected with the electricity supply system of Hazeco. “And due to non-payment of dues of Rs450 million by the TMA, a source said, Hazeco’s staff has removed the links of power transformers of all the 35 tube wells, suspending water supply to the entire city except the area falling under those of seven solarized tube wells.
“The residents of almost the entire city have been exposed to the worst water crisis for the last three days,” said Naveed, a former councilor, adding that the people going to mosques were unable to get water for ablution.
When approached for comments, the Tehsil Municipal Officer, Gul Naib was out of office, while one of his junior officers confirmed that the electricity connections of all 35 tube wells were snapped due to non-payment of dues. He said that the provincial government and local MPAs were approached for their intervention, and hopefully, the situation would improve by Friday.
When contacted, the chairman of the Board of Directors of the newly established Water and Sanitation Services Company (WSSCH), Haripur, Agha Shabir Ahmed, also expressed his concern over the suspension of water supply to the entire city in the hot weather. He, however, said that WSSCH was likely to commence its operation in the city by mid-next month and expressed the hope that the situation of water supply and sanitation would improve to the required level. He said that the provincial minister Arshad Ayub Khan and MPA Akbar Ayub Khan were busy approaching the provincial authorities and Hazeco for restoring the water supply in the city.
