A strike by Balochistan’s Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) employees has disrupted water supplies to the city of Quetta for the past seven days as workers press for better pay and benefits, union representatives said today.

Members of the WASA Employees Union are demanding a 25% ad hoc relief allowance and other benefits, which they say have not been provided despite the availability of funds. Union leaders, addressing a protest today, condemned recent police complaints filed against union members, calling them acts of intimidation intended to stifle legitimate demands.

The strike has shut down more than 400 water supply schemes, forcing residents in the capital of Balochistan province to buy water from private tankers.

The protest, which union leaders say will continue until all demands are met, violates a Balochistan High Court ruling that bans strikes by government employees. However, WASA employees remain resolute, describing their demands as long overdue.

The disruption has placed significant pressure on residents of the city, who have faced increased costs and limited access to clean drinking water.