Some parts of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB) are facing water scarcity along with power load shedding, irking their residents. The residents of the areas, while talking to APP on Monday, complained that they were getting adequate water supply. The water consumption has increased many times in the summer season. Great rush can be seen at water filtration plants because some RCB areas are reported without water for many days. But the authorities concerned are making only verbal claims of sufficient supply of the commodity and even providing it by tankers also.
The water shortage in New Afshan Colony, an area of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, has made lives of its residents miserable. Muhammad Sajid, Waheed, Aftab, Anwar, Ahsan and others said that they along with other residents were facing great difficulties due to water shortage but there was noone the come to their help. A number of complaints have been registered with the authorities concerned, but in vain, they added.
They said that water had not been supplied to their area for the last 10 days, while the Department of Water Supply was playing the role of a silent spectator. The residents said that the authorities had failed to ensure the demand of water supply, thus the residents are facing hardships to get clean water for drinking and other domestic use.
Engineer Attiq Chaudhary of Rawalpindi Cantonment Board, APP told that all-out efforts were being made for the provision of water supply to the residents.
Parliament urged to ban shisha smoking: Residents of the federal capital have demanded of the parliament to enact a law banning shisha smoking (a delicious killer) at restaurants, cafes and other public places as it is extremely injurious to health.
A senior citizen, Aijaz Ahmed, told this agency that most of the five star and other hotels, restaurants and cafes in Islamabad and other big cities of the country were offering the deadly product in a variety of flavours. He pointed out that not only boys, but also teenage girls could also be seen smoking shisha. The Narcotics Act is already enforced in the country but effective steps are needed for its implementation, he added.
Another citizen,Waqar Wani, opined that a large number of teenagers, including school and college students are found using the smoke at restaurants and hotels across the country. Every day new cafes of the smoke are opening up in the country because of its increasing demand by the younger generation, he added. He said it was a modern form of the “Huqqah” in which hazardous and aromatic tobacco in flavours is used to attract teenagers.
Fahad Watto, a student of ‘O’ Level, said that almost 50 per cent of varsity students were becoming addict of shisha smoking and it was becoming more popular in female students as well. Different kinds of flavours were being used to lure the youth towards smoking, he said.
When contacted, Dr Imran said smokers inhale up to 150 times more tobacco in a single session than a cigarette. Sheesha causes lungs diseases, cancer and the flavoured smoking is many times more harmful to health than a simple cigarette smoking, he said and added the deadly smoking had become a fashion in the society but the smokers did not know that it was a delicious killer, which killed the person gradually.
“If it continues to exist in our society, it will result in untimely death of youngsters in the years to come,” Dr Imran warned. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), consuming the smoke for an hour is equal to smoking 100 cigarettes. Zaghum Naqvi, a journalist, said that both boys and girls were getting hooked to it and the trend was rising. He said the government must create extra awareness among the smokers against the harmful affects of the smoke, besides cigarette smoking.
The people have demanded of the government to ban import of all the ingredients being used in the making of shisha to eradicate the menace from the society.
