Daily Times

MITHI: The citizens of Mithi and its surrounding villages, on non-availability of Reverse Osmosis (RO) storage capacity, are getting less filtered water, it is learnt. While talking to Daily Times, Pak Oasis Zonal Administrator Major (r) Muhammad Saad bin Zahid, “Non-availability of storage facility is producing only one million gallon per day (MGD).” He said Pak Oasis who collaborated with Sindh government in installation of the plant, acknowledged that the plant was not filtering the water as per its designed capacity and linked the responsibly of distribution of water with district administration. He further said the plant was considered as Asia’s largest RO plant, was built at Misri Shah area of Mithi with a cost of Rs 300 million and was inaugurated in January 2015 by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari adding that as per deign, the capacity of plant is to filter two million MGD of water. “So far we have not spread our wings to maximum level. But we cannot produce filtered water to our maximum capacity to sub-district reservoir tanks which do not have storage capacity,” said Saad bin Zahid. According to district administration, Mithi receives water through three ways, canal water, boring and from ground water. The population of Mithi is estimated around 45,000 and at present, there are around 3,500 domestic water connections only whereas canal water and RO plant water is being supplied on rotation basis. Saad bin Zahid said the Naukot Canal Water Scheme was handed over to Town Municipal Administration, Mithi in 2002 adding that the pipeline is running from Naukot to Islamkot via Mithi, besides villages lie in between Naukot to Mthi and Mithi to Islamkot are also getting water. The Mithi Public Health Engineering Department acknowledged non-existence of water storage capacity of RO plant and the reason behind is short supply but it expressed hope for construction work on storage plant which would start next month. “There are four tanks with total capacity of two million MGD for Mithi to be built soon,” said Jawahar Lal, assistant engineer Public Health Engineering Department, Mithi. If there would be storage tanks, salty water would be stopped and fresh water would be provided, Lal added. Sources said that Detha Bheel Village is one among the worst suffering villages due to lack attention of authorities adding that Detha Bheel Village is in 26 kilometres north of Mithi and is among the water affected areas with 200 households but with no water facilities are being provided by government.