MPAs decry lack of drinking water

KARACHI:

Water, or lack thereof, dominated Sindh Assembly proceedings as lawmakers belonging to the opposition parties drew the house's towards a pressing matter - the dearth of drinking water in the province.

The opposition urged the treasury to focus on water and sanitation issues that are impacting the population of Sindh. MPAs belonging to Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Pakistan Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) took strong exception to the severe water shortage in their constituencies.

They bemoaned the fact that locals were compelled to get water through tankers at exorbitant prices.

"Despite many repeated protests in the house, I can't see a drinking water scheme in my area; Baldia Town. It has big slums and the largest variety of ethnicities," said Sadaqat Hussain of MQM.

"We want to know why the government has punished the people living in the area. The health and education facilities are already on the verge of collapse and the government has deprived people of basic fundamental right of drinking water too," the MPA alleged.

Referring to the budget books, the MPA continued that many development schemes, which were part of the ADP, have not been finished.

When deputy speaker Rehana Leghari gave the floor to PTI MPA Raja Azhar, he also started his speech by highlighting the acute shortage of water.

"The water is available, but its mismanagement and unending theft has created scarcity," he said.

Azhar alleged that decadesold water lines have been damaged and officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage (KWSB) were involved in theft and mismanagement of this most valuable commodity.

Criticising PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for organising the "Mehangai March", the PTI leader said that current inflation has "broken all past records".

MQM's Ghulam Jilani, who won the election from Korangi area, slammed the Sindh government for failing to deliver in the city.

"I just want to ask one thing. What happened to K-4 and other drinking water schemes Karachi?" he asked.

"We will salute the incumbent government only if it resolves the water issue of Karachi," he said. "

Jillani added that there were a host of issues in his constituency where government hospitals and dispensaries lacked basics facilities such as X-ray machines.

Earlier, Nusrat Seher Abbasi of GDA, starting her budget speech, raised the question in the house about the absentia of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.

"It seems as if all government machinery is busy rigging the local government election," she alleged. Speaking on the new and ongoing schemes, she said that the ruling government in Sindh failed to pay to employees performing COVID-19 duties.

She added that wheat stock of Rs83 cores have been ruined because of the negligence of government officials.

"Despite spending Rs104 billion for RO plants in Thar, people living there are compelled to fetch contaminated water from traditional wells. Almost all RO plants are lying non-functional," Abbasi remarked.

She protested over the harassment of opposition candidates in local government elections which are scheduled.

Heer Ismail Soho of PPP however appreciated the Sindh government for giving the balanced budget and said, "The credit goes to Sindh chief for presenting pro-people budget with no tax in it," she said criticised the former prime minister Imran Khan for creating economic unrest in the country and said, "Pakistan now suffers because of incompetency of PTI government.

Aijaz Shah of PPP, Arslan Taj and Jamal Siddiqui of PTI also spoke on the budget. Later, the session was adjourned till today (Thursday).