HYDERABAD, Jan 15: Residents of the Junejo Colony and Anwar Villas staged a sit-in in their areas to protest against overflowing of gutters and choked sewerage lines here on Sunday. They said that sewerage disposal had been a major problem for Qasimabad taluka because residents of Anwar villas, Samina bungalows in front of Ali palace, anti-corruption quarters, Al-Abbas colony, Waqar town, New Wahdat colony and Abdullah blessing were experiencing this problem.

UC Nazim Mehboob Abro and Qasimabad Action Committee leaders Sattar Qazi and Abid Lakhair led the protesters.

They said that there were choked gutters in the area and authorities failed to remove the filth.

They told the UC nazim that they had to wade through filthy water that accumulated in their areas because of choked gutter lines.

In one case, they said, the gutter line got mixed with drinking water line in Samina bungalows and people are taking water from a nearby mosque for consumption.

UC Nazim Mehboob Abro told Dawn that the entire Qasimabad was hit by sewerage problem but areas of Doomrah Bagrani Goth, New Wahdat colony, Samina bungalows, Junejo colony, Sheedi Goth, Anwar villas were the worst affected areas.

Mr Abro said that roads were almost destroyed due to choked gutter lines.

He blamed builders who had left the colonies’ development incomplete and handed over possession to owners of the houses without obtaining no objection certificates from the Hyderabad Development Authority.

He said that builders had laid sub-standard sewerage lines in these areas.

He said that the Hyderabad Development Authority was not taking action against these builders.

District Naib Nazim Zafar Rajput arrived in Junejo Colony along with Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) officials.

He also deplored the insanitation conditions in the area and briefed the District Nazim, Kanwar Naveed, on telephone in this regard.

He asked the director of planning and development of the Hyderabad Development Authority, to prepare a list of all those builders who had constructed these colonies and handed over possession to owners without obtaining NOCs from HDA and on the contrary started new projects in other parts of the city.

He stated that all these builders had not laid quality sewerage lines which were now causing problems.

He said that he would submit his recommendations for action against such builders after the list was provided to him by HDA’s director development.

He said that water supply line of Samina bungalows had been mixed with the gutter line while gutters were found choked in parts of New Wahdat colony and Anwar villas.

He said that he also asked director planning of the authority to ensure removal of encroachments which had been raised near Sheedi Goth over drainage line on main road.

He said that the width of the road was 80 feet which needed to be restored.