Lawmakers also feel the dengue scare

Ask CDA to replace leaking pipes at the Parliament Lodges.

ISLAMABAD:

With the number of suspected patients increasing every day, the dengue onslaught has managed to raise alarms in the ranks of the parliamentarians as well.

Parliamentary Secretary on Cabinet Secretariat MNA Farhat Khan, in a meeting with the officials of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) a few days ago, requested the replacement of all leaking pipelines of the Parliament Lodges.

Sources in the civic agency told The Express Tribune that the Water Management Wing of the CDA is working on the proposal. Sanaullah Aman, Director General Water Management CDA, confirmed the development, but said that at present the Water Wing was not in a position to replace the pipelines because “the issue is being faced by the entire city [and] we need some time for this”.

However, maintenance work to fix the leaking pipes has been completed at the Parliament Lodges. “There is no threat of dengue in the vicinity,” he said.

A top official of the authority told The Express Tribune that it is not fair that the MNAs were demanding replacement and up-gradation of water system at the Parliament Lodges only. “The entire water system of the city is old and needs replacement,” he said.

“At many places, four-decade-old leaking pipes are posing serious health threats to the residents of the city but the lawmakers seem least interested about them,” he added.

The two summaries regarding up gradation of the water system in the capital city are pending before planning commission, he said. The civic agency had earlier planned to construct four mini-sewerage plants in different sectors to upgrade the water system but due to non-availability of resources the plan could not be executed, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 12^th, 2011.