A large number of fisherwomen and men on Wednesday took out a rally in fishermen locality in Karachi demanding to ensure clean drinking water.
The rally started from Sachal Hall, the Secretariat of Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (PFF), and reached at Water Pump. After that this gathering turned into a public meeting where community leaders addressed demanding clean drinking water for the locality.
Led by PFF Chairperson Muhammad Ali Shah, General Secretary Saeed Baloch, Majeed Motani, Fatima Majeed, Asif Shah and others, the participants of rally shouted slogans to ensure supply of water as they accused the government authorities of allowing setting up private water hydrants to take water share of Ibrahim Hydri.
Ibrahim Hydri, the largest locality comprising 150,000 population, is being deprived of their share of water. It is created by certain elements in the government to deprive the people of their water share. PFF Chairperson Muhammad Ai Shah appealed to the community people to come out for showing unity as it was the only way out to get rights.
He said: “Our women carrying water pots and earthen jars can be seen in the streets from dawn to dusk to fetch water from different places to quench their thirst, but officials sitting in local bodies institutions, towns and union councils never took up this demand to ensure water to these poor fishermen.”
“This is not for the first time. These protesting women have always raised the slogans to draw attention of certain government officials, and parliamentarians to realise and provide water to these neglected fisher community women, but all in vain,” Shah said. “There is nobody to listen to these people and remove their grievances,” he added.
“We demand the provincial and city governments to stop operating private water hydrants under water mafia which are depriving these people of their share of water. There is no justification to allow these water hydrants to take water from the pipeline which is supposed to supply water to this locality,” he said.
“Look at these protesting women and innocent young girls, whose elders have contributed a lot to build this mega city of Karachi long ago. Fishermen are the founders of this city of lights. But in return of this contribution of our elders, certain government officials are even depriving us of our water share,” the PFF’s leader said.
He said an influential person had given bribe to the water board officials to set up water hydrants in the city which were mostly taking water from pipelines providing water to Ibrahim Hydri.
Saeed Baloch said this particular hydrant had a capacity to store more than three million gallon water which was the share of this locality and there were hundreds of water tankers to fill water from there and move to other areas.
It is ironic that it is an open crime and even the courts have already taken notice of these private water hydrants of the city which are committing crime to take water share of the poor people, like those belonging to Ibrahim Hydri.
The crowd warned the government to stop this water hydrant within 48-hours otherwise these women with hundreds of people will themselves take action to restore their water. And in this regard, whatever the community people take action the provincial government and water board authorities will be responsible.
Senior boat captain and community elder Majeed Motani said it had been the issue since 1990 and now it had turned worst.
“We are crying for the last 25 years for water but these ruling elites have nothing to do and resolve our issue,” Motani said, adding that the warning should be taken serious as the community people will destroy this water hydrant to get water, which is their fundamental right.
