Lahore: Model Town residents getting contaminated water

[Naveed Yaseen]

* Residents blame corruption in sewage pipes’ installation
* MTS president denies charges of corruption

By Afnan Khan

LAHORE: Model Town Society (MTS) residents are being supplied contaminated water, and even that in limited supply, due to ongoing power cuts and a likely leakage in newly installed sewage pipes.

The residents have complained of a visible change in the colour and smell of water, which, they say, is a mix of sewer material. This has made the lives of residents difficult, as they cannot use water for cleaning and drinking.

The residents most affected are the residents of G, H and J blocks. The situation has deteriorated since the administration installed new sewage pipes in the location two months ago. People have complained to MTS authorities but in vain.

An H-Block resident Moeen told Daily Times that the people were so disturbed that they were planning to launch a protest inside the administration building.

“We have informed the MTS officials many a time but no one is paying heed to our complaints. Life has become a living hell due to this menace, as we have to purchase mineral water for drinking and have no alternative for bathing and washing,” he explained.

Moeen said tap water was so contaminated that its consumption was unimaginable. He said the residents were also facing a severe shortage of water due to load shedding.

“Though such water is useless anyway, the colour of water changes if the tube wells remain turned on for around an hour and this water can then be used only for plants and a few other things,” the resident added.

“We will go to the court or authorities concerned against the probable corruption in installation of sewage pipes, which is the root cause of the problem,” Moeen said.

President denies: MTS President Tahir Kardar told Daily Times that the authorities have already taken action and asked the concerned people to fix the problem. He said the installation of a new sewerage system was one of the key demands of the residents because the previous system was at least three decades old.

He said there was no possibility of embezzlement in the project because the authorities themselves monitored it and they would replace the old sewerage system with modern pipes throughout the locality very soon.

Kardar said the MTS authorities were planning to have independent power supply to cope with load shedding while they would soon build more overhead water tanks in different blocks to ensure continuous water supply to the residents.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...009_pg13_1