Filtration plant chief engineer sacked amid water shortage

HYDERABAD:

As citizens' complaints keep piling up about severe water shortage in many parts of City taluka in Hyderabad district, the mayor has ordered removal of Executive Engineer Halanaka filtration plant.

Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) Mayor Kashif Ali Shoro, who is also chairman of the governing body of Hyderabad Water and Sewerage Board Corporation, on Monday directed the corporation's managing director to appoint a competent officer.

“There is no place in the corporation for such officials who fail to fulfill their obligations,” he cautioned. According to Shoro, the complaints about the shortage had been making rounds for weeks but the concerned officials did not budge.

He lamented that the citizens were deprived of water during the peak summer heat which remained intensified for many weeks due to humid weather. Meanwhile, Assistant Commissioner of City taluka, Babar Saleh, also submitted his inquiry report on Monday to Deputy Commissioner Zainul Abedin Memon about problems at the Halanaka plant which is located in Khursheed town area.

“As a result of the current issue, almost 70% of the population of Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Pareetabad is affected, leading to potential challenges in water supply to the residents,” he stated in his report. According to him, among the 10 vertical turbines installed at the plant, four are non-functional. The plant supplies water to TMC Pareetabad through two pipelines, including a 24-inch diameter pipe and a 16-inch diameter pipe. The AC reported that the 24-inch pipeline has become non-functional due to the four defective turbines.

As a temporary measure, one vertical turbine has been borrowed from the New Filtration Plant on Jamshoro road until the defective turbines of the Halanaka plant can be repaired. One more turbine has been 'arranged' from Karachi and it will be installed by July 30.