MIRPUR KHAS: With the onset of the summer months, Mirpurkhas, the fourth biggest city inSindh, has started facing acute water shortage, Daily Times learnt on Friday. Even though the citizens have been facing this shortage for the last 2 months, they were not being supplied any water by the Public Health Engineering Department. However, now the shortage is becoming severe. The areas of Satellite Town, P Bukhari town, Sial Colony, Adam town, Bhansighabad, ChandniChowk, Pak Colony, Lalchandabad, Hirabad, Gharibabad, Gulshan-e-Rehmania Colony, Khipro bus stand, Chutta village, Mir Colony, Torabad, Khad Plot, Khisakpura and Mehmoodabad have not received any water for the last 15 days. The residents of these areas are compelled to fetch water from hand pumps. The Taluka Municipal Administration and Chaiman Baldaia Mirpurkhas have not taken any measures to solve the problem. Speaking to our correspondent, several people, including Junaid Pathan, FazalQureshi, JibranAhmed, AfaqPanhwer, Nazeer Ahmed, and Raza Ali, described the many hardships they faced due to the disruption in the water supply. They expressed their disappointment in the Taluka Municipal Administration, which has thus far failed to make alternative arrangements for supplying water. They alleged that the municipal officials were only concerned with providing water to influential people and were selling water through tankers at exorbitant rates. The people have been compelled to get water through hand pumps. The municipal administration sells water at the rate of Rs1000 to Rs1500 per tanker, which is quite steep. They demanded higher authorities take note of the negligence of the Taluka Municipal Administration, Mirpurkhas, and ensure proper water supply to the city. If they failed to do so, the people would be compelled to launch a protest campaign.