–MCI contractor not supplying water tank due to non-payment of dues
ISLAMABAD: Residents of Islamabad’s sector I-8/1 are at risk for facing a severe water shortage after a week of suffering intermittent shortages due to technical issues while government authorities and medics frequently call washing hands as the first line of defence against coronavirus.
The locality, housing hundreds of residential apartments had been struggling to get water after a tube well developed technical fault.
According to the details, the area gets its water supply through four tube wells. Two of them barely provide water owing to depleted levels while one of the other two tube wells was lying closed for over a week after its submersible motor went dysfunctional.
It may be noted here that most of the area’s residents are government servants who are at a high risk of bringing the virus into their homes.
“As per advice, I want to change my clothes and wash my hands soon I get back to home. But I have to wait for hours before being able to do even basic cleaning. My children try to hug me and my spouse struggles to keep them from me which is even a stricter lockdown for them,” said Imtinan, an employee of the Interior Ministry, residing in Street 30.
The residents term it the failure of both the Municipal Corporation of Islamabad (MCI) and Capital Development Authority (CDA) whose lack of concern was risking the lives of thousands of residents who needed extra caution for living in a close community.
“For them, it could be just a motor, but for us, it is the matter of our lives and of our children. They ask us to frequently wash hands with soap, but how? We don’t even have water for toilet usage,” said Muhammad Tariq, a resident while leaving his home holding a container to fetch water.
He said as per the standards, we are supposed to regularly clean the frequently touched surfaces like stair grills used by multiple people every hour but it was not possible in these water-less days.
Even the authorities are unable to cope with the water needs through tankers which though has now become a signature of Islamabad streets.
“We have to book for a water tanker at 4 am in the morning. For two residential blocks, housing 32 apartments, we receive a water tanker once a day which lasts only an hour or two,” said Hameed Khan, another resident.
The MCI supplies water at night after testing the resident’s nerves throughout the day.
Owing to the government’s stay-at-home directives, the water consumption has also increased compelling the people even the elderly to lift water containers up to the multi-storey buildings.
Asked why the repair of motor was taking too long, an MCI official said as the contractor was not paid timely, so he was not bothered to do any work.
“Instead of just photo sessions to show-off their anti-COVID-19 operations, the mayor of Islamabad and CDA chairman should ensure water supply to residents to establish their first line of defence against virus,” said another resident.
Despite repeated attempts to get official words from the CDA chairman and Islamabad mayor, both did not respond.
Moving on an upward trajectory, the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases reached 119 with some of the capital’s areas sealed off by the administration on Sunday to contain the spread.
