Amid rising temperatures, Karachi faces acute water shortage

With temperatures soaring to over 40 degrees Celsius in Pakistan's Karachi, the city has been facing an acute shortage of water.

On Saturday, Karachi recorded a temperature of 43.6 degrees Celsius - the highest temperature since April 1947, according to its meteorological department.

The water was being supplied to the city through the Dhabeji Pumping station and the Hub Canal and District West were facing the most shortage of water compared to other districts of the city, The News International quoted Asadullah Khan, Karachi Water, and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Managing Director as saying.

He further said 250,000 gallons of water is supplied to all the deputy commissioners free of charge during Ramazan.

Khan said Karachi was the only city in the country where water was supplied from a source 150 kilometres away. He added that water is supplied to those areas of the city through tankers where water is unable to reach through pipelines.

Amid the rising population and climate change, the availability of fresh water is becoming worrisome in South Asia, particularly in Pakistan, which may face absolute water scarcity by 2040.

According to a Washington-based magazine, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has placed Pakistan at the third position in the list of countries facing acute water scarcity.

Moreover, the per capita availability of fresh water in Pakistan has fallen below the water scarcity threshold (1,000 cubic meters), which was 3,950 cubic meters in 1961 and 1600 in 1991.

( With inputs from ANI )