Pakistan: Failing water supply system in Karachi troubles citizens amid Eid-ul-Azha

Karachi [Pakistan], July 1 : As more water is used for drinking, cooking, cleaning, bathing, and sanitation during Eid-ul-Azha, the city's crumbling distribution and supply system and outdated infrastructure make life miserable for citizens during the religious festival, Dawn reported.

While allegations of a severe water shortage continued to come in from practically every area in the city, insiders with the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board claimed that the infrastructure's ageparts of which have been in use for more than 40 yearsmade it impossible to address the issue.

"The localities worst hit by an acute shortage of water include the densely populated Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Gadap, North Karachi, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Federal B Area, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Malir, Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, parts of Clifton under the municipal control of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Lyari etc where residents complain that they get less than 60 per cent of water allotted to them," as per Dawn, a Pakistan-based English daily.

People claimed they had no choice but to purchase water tankers in order to meet their needs, even in the posh areas of the city such as Defence Housing Authority and Clifton, which is under the administrative and municipal supervision of the Cantonment Board Clifton.

Many claim that KWSB created an "artificial shortage" during Eid to increase the water tanker business.

A water tanker that once cost between PKR 1,500 and PKR 2,00 is now between PKR 5,500 and PKR 6,500.

The deteriorated transmission and distribution system of the water board, according to a KWSB engineer who wished to remain unnamed, was unable to meet people's needs since it had outlived its intended economic life, resulting in losses of up to 42 per cent.

In spite of regularly paying bills water flowed through the main pipelines in her locality, once a week that too for only 10 minutes, told a Clifton resident to Dawn.

Mansoor Ahmed, a resident of Khokhrapar, said that his area was not getting water supply for weeks and residents had no option but to be fleeced by mushrooming water tanker mafia.

"The water utility can ensure water supply even though the poor distribution and transmission system if its staff worked efficiently and honestly," he said.

Syed Mazhar Ali Shah, a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 13-D, said that the water was supplied to the locality only once an hour, that is too in the small hours of the morning. "Like in any other part of the city, you can't obtain water without using suction pumps, and I get a small quantity at the price of my sleep," he lamented, according to Dawn.

Over 550 million gallons of water per day were reportedly fed into the city's primary pumping station at Dhabeji, according to insiders at the water service. They claimed that before it reached consumers, more than 40 per cent of the water was either lost or stolen.

Syed Salahuddin Ahmed, the chief executive officer of KWSB, told Dawn that the water company was doing everything in its power to guarantee a steady supply of water throughout the city during Eidul Azha.

In light of the difficulties facing the general population, he claimed that all executive engineers and superintending engineers had been ordered to continue working alongside their colleagues during the Eid days.

He promised to personally oversee the development of active projects and to promptly address any issues, Dawn reported.