Multan's British-era water supply system dysfunctional

Sources say it was closed in 2015 due to leakage which was cause of dengue growth

MULTAN: The old Over Head Reservoir (OHR) and the first water supply system with a capacity of 40,000 gallons introduced during the British era for the city, is one of the 21 dysfunctional water tanks for a long time.

Constructed in 1932 with steel plates as per WASA record at water works road near Lohari Gate, around 80-year-old OHR, commonly known as a water tank, was used to supply water for the residents of walled city by 2015 before it was dysfunctional.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) sources told APP on Sunday that the tank was 80 feet high from the ground level which can store 1,800,000 litres of water with a complete network of water supply. According to sources, the OHR was closed in 2015 due to leakage which was the cause by dengue growth.

The OHR was used to supply water to 5 hydrants before its closure, the sources said, adding that the rest of the 20 OHRs have a capacity of 100,000 gallons that have been non-functional for the last decade. The OHRs were built at Gulghast market, TB Road, Shah Shams Colony, W- D- G- blocks of Shah Rukne Alam Colony, Mumtazabad, Qasimpur Colony, Timber Market, Naqashband Colony, Multan Board Office, Langay Khan Bagh, Tukhlaq Town Hassan Parwana Colony, and MDA Road.

WASA Deputy Director Abdul Salam confirmed that all 21 OHRs had been dysfunctional for a very long time and water was being supplied directly to citizens. The repair of all OHRs had been proposed in Annual Development Programme (ADP) 2019-20, he said, adding that 20 OHRs went dysfunctional almost a decade ago due to some reasons while the one at Water Works Road went non-functional in 2015.

The deputy director said that the water was stored in OHR and was supplied to the general public. When the level of water lowers down, the tank was filled again from tube wells connected to the OHRs.

Replying to a question, he said that though fire-fighting was the job of Rescue 1122 and Fire Brigade,  WASA helps these departments in case of emergency by providing water from its five fire hydrants through turning on tube wells. He said the WASA could improve water supply in the city if all the OHRs were made functional. WASA was supplying water thrice a day for two hours each time, he said.

Municipal Corporation Multan (MCM) CO, Shahid Iqbal said that he joined his office over an hour years ago and had no information about it. Riaz Khan, an old dweller of the walled city, said that the water reservoir was much beneficial for clean drinking water for them. He added that at times, they do not get water thrice a day from WASA which causes problems especially for household women who have to wash clothes and cook food every day.

Muhammad Yousuf, an octogenarian resident of Ghanta Ghar told APP that OHR at waterworks road existed since his childhood. He urged the authorities concerned to make all OHRs functional at the earliest.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2019.