LAHORE, Jan 3: Loadshedding rendered Wasa tubewells non-operational resulting in acute shortage of water in most parts of the city on Thursday.

The worst-affected localities were Allama Iqbal Town’s Asif, Kashmir, Mehran, Sikandar, Kamran and College blocks, Faisal Town’s D-Block, Sabzazaar, Gulshan-i-Ravi, Sanda, Mohni Road, Karim Park, Islampura, Badami Bagh, Datanagar, Misri Shah, Faiz Bagh, Shadbagh and Wassanpura where residents had to buy bottled water for toilet use. Those who woke up late could not get even the bottled water.

District Nazim Mian Amer said directions had been issued to the Water and Sanitation Agency to operate tubewells till late night and keep 20 water tankers ready so that shortage in any area could be met.

The central complaint cell of the Wasa would remain open round the clock and can be contacted by dialling 9239005 and 9239006 where two water tankers would be standby.

Appealing the Lahorites to store water, the nazim said a comprehensive action plan had been prepared to meet the shortage.

Aptma: The All-Pakistan Textile Mills Association (Aptma), Punjab zone, on Thursday rejected load management and disconnection policy being undertaken by power and gas supply companies, says a press release issued by the association.

In a general body meeting, Aptma members claimed the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited had unilaterally stopped gas supply after the decision of the Economic Coordination Council, which called for closure for maintenance of fertiliser factories during severe shortage and disconnection of general industry/CNG at par with the textile industry.

Members demanded that fertiliser factories, especially in Lahore region, which were hit by winter, should be closed for maintenance immediately. Aptma asked the SNGPL to restore gas supply to textile mills in Punjab by undertaking a load management programme in consultation with the Aptma.

Aptma says according to the ECC decision, loadshedding should be equitably distributed, in a transparent manner, by including the general industry. Also, fertiliser factories should be asked to shut down for general maintenance immediately

Aptma has also expressed concern over unprecedented loadshedding in electric supply to the textile mills of Punjab. The new year has started with over 12 hours per day loadshedding of electric supply to textile mills.

Aptma says it is working with utility companies, the Lahore Electric Supply Company and the Pakistan Electric Power Company, to coordinate loadshedding and control damage to the industry. A lack of planning and proper implementation on part of government agencies responsible for energy supply, over the last decade has brought the industry to the verge of collapse, it said.

The entire system, including of IPPs, is being run on a day-to-day basis and is unable to sustain even minimal shocks.

The industry fails to understand that while hundreds of billions of rupees are being spent on grandiose schemes whose benefit will accrue in distant future, urgently needed infrastructure has not been constructed.

Aptma appealed to the government of Pakistan to save the industry from total disaster. It said the losses suffered by an already crisis-ridden industry will render it unable to pay back bank loans. The government must step in immediately to compensate the losses suffered by the industry, and should ask banks to declare a moratorium on repayment for two years. The government should also ask utility companies to prepare for shortages in such a way where industry can shut down on a revolving basis instead of entire industry suffering on a daily basis.