HMC mayor warns of drainage and sanitation woes ahead

The warning comes after the local govt dept sacked contract staff and engineers from WASA

HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) mayor has cautioned citizens of water supply, drainage and sanitation woes in the days ahead. The warning was issued through a video message posted on acting Mayor Syed Suhail Mushedi's Facebook page on Saturday.

"I want to bring to your knowledge that a large number of officers of an important organisation, WASA [Water and Sanitation Agency] have left their charges. Owing to which different problems will arise in the city especially of water supply and sewerage," he said.



He informed that the supply of diesel fuel for vehicles of HMC has also been stopped after the HMC Commissioner Nasrullah Abbassi, who is a signatory authority in the corporation, left his charge.

"It's possible that worrying or maybe very worrying situation will crop up in the city. The sewers will spill over and sewage puddles will appear on many roads." The grim warning comes after the local government department sacked contract staff and engineers from WASA which has consequently plunged in an administrative and financial crisis.

On the other hand, the workers of WASA are also protesting against non-payment of salaries of last five months. Mehran Workers Union General-Secretary Muhammad Aslam Abbassi said while addressing a protest at Tulsi Das pumping station on Saturday that workers are feeling compelled to take extreme measures. He said that the city's drainage network will be ground to a halt on January 22 and suspension of water supply will follow if they are not paid their salaries and pensions.



The crisis follows the annual over two-week closure of the canals which supply Indus River's water to the city from Kotri barrage for maintenance. Due to a shortage of storage capacity in WASA's lagoons, Hyderabad's many parts suffered water scarcity during that period which lasted till almost half of January. The mayor has requested for the Sindh government to take notice immediately and help the corporation deal with the problem.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 20^th, 2019.