No respite from water crisis in Karachi even on Eid days

Source: Dawn
Author: Tahir Siddiqui

KARACHI: While people continue to face acute water shortages in many parts of the metropolis on the eve of Eidul Fitr, there is no respite in sight from the water woes even during the three-day of the religious festival with suspension of supply through water bowsers for the next two days, it emerged on Tuesday.

The worst-hit will be the salubrious parts of the city, including Defence Housing Authority and Clifton, where residents mainly rely on supply of potable water through water bowsers.

Residents from almost every part of the city complained that the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation had piled miseries on them during Ramazan as they faced acute water shortages in their respective areas.

A spokesman for the water utility, however, said that the KWSC had made special arrangements for supply and drainage of water across the city before and during Eid.

Supply from seven govt hydrants to remain suspended till Thursday

He said that water supply was affected in some parts of the city due to mechanical activities, adding that the supply had to be suspended for repair and maintenance work that led to water scarcity in some areas.

KWSC chief executive officer Syed Salahuddin Ahmed told Dawn that all pumping stations in the city were functioning normally and 520 million gallons of water per day was being supplied to the city from the Dhabeji Pumping Station.

"The demand of water has increased with the hot weather," he said adding that effective measures for the supply and drainage of water would be taken around Eid gatherings, mosques, imambargahs, and schools throughout the city.

However, residents said that water had not flowed through the main pipelines for the past several days in their localities leaving them with no option but to be fleeced by mushrooming water tanker mafia to meet their daily requirement.

Tauseef Shah, resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block-13, said that the 2,000-gallon water tanker which they used to buy for Rs2,000 was now available at Rs5,000 to 6,000 in his area.

"It happens on every Eid," he said adding that the tanker mafia with connivance of water utility officials minted millions of rupees each year during religious festivals.

In district Central, water shortage continued to hit residents who alleged that the water meant for the district was being supplied to other parts of the city.

They said that the Sakhi Hasan Hydrant was closed for the past three days due to shortage of water, thus depriving the residents of alternative arrangement for water supply.

Sources said that the Sakhi Hasan Hydrant was made operational only for eight hours to supply water in the district.

Meanwhile, the water utility said that the supply of water through tankers from seven official hydrants would remain suspended on Wednesday and Thursday as the tanker drivers would not turn up at duty due to Eid celebrations.

In charge of hydrant cell Elahi Bux Bhutto said that there were 2,800 register water tankers supplying 12 to 15 MGD water to various parts of the city.

He said that the water tanker service remained closed on the first two days of Eid as drivers went to holidays.