Tharis again forced to drink the contaminated water

The people of Tharparkar  both living in towns and villages  have again been forced to drink highly contaminated water from the wells after all waterworks failed to provide them the water in the harsh summers.

The Thari women, who mostly fetch water have to travel miles in search of water during the rising temperatures in the sandy area but the both lawmakers and government officials of the desert district are least interested to provide any relief to the people of the desert district . According to the reports collected by this reporter, almost all RO plants installed in Thar by the PPP government to provide safe drinking  were shut down by its operators and workers  many  more than a year ago after they were not given their 18-month salaries.

Over six hundred costly plants installed in various towns and villages of the desert district to provide the safe drinking water to over 1.8 million residents of desert district Tharparkar  were shut down by the unpaid  operators and workers, who were hired by a private firm  to maintain and run the costly pants saying that that they would resume their duties after some payment was made to them. Sindh government launched the mega scheme in Thar and handed over the contract of installing  750  plants in all big and small towns and big villages but the contract with the private firm expired last  year and since then no other firm showed interest to take part in the bid and take over the charge of  the existing 635   plants despite the fact the local officials of  public health engineering department invited the tenders for more than ten times in a desperate attempt  to put the closed plants in operation by giving some dues to the striking workers.

The officials of the public health engineering department  when contacted told this reporter that they had not only invited the tenders to hand over the charge of the costly plants for their smooth running but also informed the high-ups for the payment of the workers time and again . The workers were hired by the private company, which was tasked with installing, maintaining and running nearly 750  plants when the mega scheme was launched and one of the biggest RO plants of Asia  at Misri Shah area on the outskirts of Mithi town was inaugurated by then President Asif Ali Zardari.

The leaders of  the operators and workers, who have been protesting for the payment of their salaries told that after failing to get any response to get their pays they were left with other options but to shut down their plants adding they warned if the plants were not properly looked after the villagers would not tamper with the costly equipment but might also steal the solar panels from the sites. They again made the fervent appeal to the high-ups of Sindh government to intervene and save the mega project from the massive collapse.