Open manholes and contaminated water continue to trouble Lahore residents

LAHORE: Open manholes and complaints of contaminated water continue to create difficulties for residents in different parts of Lahore, with the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) facing criticism over what citizens describe as inaction despite repeated incidents and complaints.

Many manhole covers are still missing in several areas of the city, even after past accidents, including the recent tragedy at the Bhati Chowk remodelling project. In January this year, a woman and her minor son died after falling into an uncovered trunk sewer manhole at the construction site. The government initially denied the incident, but the bodies were later found at sewage water disposal.

Residents in multiple neighbourhoods said uncovered manholes remain a persistent hazard. A shopkeeper at Mirdad Chowk in Johar Town near Shadaywal Chowk said,

For the last many days, we have been finding uncovered manholes ignored by the Wasa field teams. A couple of days ago, we also requested someone to help but to no avail,

adding,

I think they will come when someone dies or gets injured after falling into these uncovered manholes.

Over the years, several people, including children, have died after falling into open manholes in different parts of the provincial capital.

A resident of a locality along Canal Road near Thokar said the problem was also contributing to traffic accidents. He said he had recently seen a motorist inspecting damage to his car caused by an uncovered manhole. He further said the issue was worsening because solid waste was also being dumped into these open manholes.

As per an insider cited in the report, uncovered manholes can be found in several parts of Lahore, and repeated incidents are occurring because of Wasa’s failure to address the issue. The insider said the complaint resolution system appeared to have collapsed, affecting areas including Johar Town, Bhati, Allama Iqbal Town, localities along Canal Road, Mughalpura, Shahdara and various construction sites.

Water contamination complaints

Alongside the issue of open manholes, residents in various localities have also reported serious concerns about water contamination. Some people said they suffered oral and skin infections after using water supplied through Wasa field offices via tubewells.

A resident of Green Town said,

I suffered an oral infection a couple of times in recent months. Initially, I thought it might be caused by unhygienic food. Later, I came to know that it was due to contaminated water caused by leakage of sewage pipes.

A resident of Johar Town said he and others in his area had shifted to water drawn from a 600-foot-deep bore through a pump after receiving contaminated water from the Wasa supply system. He said,

I did this after getting contaminated water through the Wasa water supply system. I spent almost Rs250,000 on a new pump.

Dr Habibul Haq Randhawa, former chief engineer of the Lahore Development Authority and an environmentalist, described the complaints as genuine. He said there were issues of adulterated water being supplied by Wasa and noted that Lahore had different water distribution networks managed by the agency that were quite old and needed replacement. He called for immediate government attention to address the matter.

Punjab Wasa Director General Tayyab Farid acknowledged the existence of these issues and said there was a need for a third-party validation mechanism to verify field operation reports. He said,

I have also discussed these issues and mechanisms with our chairman. They (Wasa officers) give us “All Ok reports”. But we don’t believe these, as these can only be checked and verified through a third-party mechanism,

and added that Wasa Punjab and other relevant departments were working to improve the situation by holding negligent officers accountable.