KARACHI, Oct 21: Water gushing out from a 48-inch dia leaking valve, near Orangi Town’s Sabri Chowk, has badly damaged at least two roads in the area, besides causing acute water shortage in the nearby localities.
The residents of the affected areas said that on the one hand a considerable quantity of water was being wasted almost daily from the leaking valve while, on the other, the ankle-deep water coming out from the valve had developed a crack more than 25 days back, creating acute water shortage.
The localities which have been affected due to the leaking valve include Sector 11 1/2, Aziz Nagar, Sabri Chowk, Pakistan Bazaar, Mansoor Nagar and adjoining localities, the UC 9 (Orangi Town), councillor, Aftab Ahmed, said, adding that water being wasted from the leaking valve often remained flowing on nearby roads, causing hindrance in the flow of traffic.
He said that the water, which often remained stranded on the nearby roads, had created deep potholes on a major portion of two roads — from Nishan-i-Haider Chowk to Islam Chowk and from Sabri Chowk to Mohajir Chowk.
He deplored that although the Orangi Town’s Nazim, Shahid Alam alias Guddu Behari, had brought the lingering issue to the notice of the concerned officials and even the KWSB managing director had visited the site more than three weeks ago, no one has, so far, bothered to rectify the fault.
SHORTAGE: Different parts of the city have been experiencing acute water shortage for the last a couple of days mainly owing to the frequent power failures and low voltage problem at the KWSB’s local pumping houses.
The hard-hit areas include Society areas, Khudadad Colony, parts of old city area, Nazimabad Block 3 and different sectors of North Karachi.
Residents of the affected localities complained that low voltage problem and frequent fluctuations were not only creating water shortage but also causing damage to their electrical gadgets and appliances.
The KWSB sources also confirmed that the recurring power failures and low voltage problem at their local pumping stations were badly affecting water supplying schedule of different localities, particularly the society areas.
Meanwhile, residents of Nazimabad Block 3/B complained that a number of houses in their locality had been receiving scant supply for the last 20 days.
They regretted that although the acute water shortage problem had been persisting in a number of houses, starting from House No 3-B 2/12, the concerned officials of the KWSB had not been able to remove the fault which often resulted in water scarcity.
KWSB: A spokesman for the KWSB said that the Board’s officials had drained out stagnant water from North Nazimabad’s Shershah Suri Road and adjoining streets.
He said that the managing director, Brig Mohammad Behram Khan, who, on Saturday, visited the site of the overflowing water, was told by the officials that though the water was coming out from the North Nazimabad town’s storm water drain, the KWSB staff had removed the stagnant water from all the affected roads and streets.
The water overflowing from the storm water drain had not only stranded on roads, near Hyderi Market, but had also accumulated in the nearby telephone duct, he added.
