KARACHI, April 21: Various parts of the city either went without water or received scanty supply on Sunday following a two-hour long power failure at the Dhabeji pumping station.
The localities which suffered most in the current hot spell included Landhi, Korangi, Shah Faisal Colony, Malir, Khokhrapar, parts of different cooperative housing societies and Old City area.
Attributing the water problem to the power breakdown at the Dhabeji pumping station, the KWSB sources said that since there was no electricity at the pumping station from 9.30am to 11.30am on Sunday, the city received a shortfall of over 13 million gallons of water.
Asked whether water supply to the affected localities would be normalized on Monday, the sources replied in the negative, saying that some of these localities would continue to face acute water shortage even on Monday.
Taking undue advantage of the situation, private tankers charged exorbitant rates from the residents of the water-starved localities.
As the city’s overall supply position was already unsatisfactory, the shortage of another 13mgd of water from the Indus source on Sunday proved to be a boon for the private tankers as, according to residents of affected localities, the tanker drivers were charging between Rs500 and 600 per tanker.
Complaints of persisting water shortage have also been received from the residents of different sectors of North Karachi, Orangi, Baldia, Shershah, Clifton’s Block 2, Muslimabad, and Catholic Colony No 1.
About the persisting water shortage in Orangi and Baldia, the KWSB sources said that at a time when the demand for water had increased manifold due to summer season, water supply from the Hub Dam, with which these sprawling townships are hooked, was at present between 28 and 28mgd as against 35mgd.
Residents of Clifton’s Block 2 deplored that although they had been experiencing acute water shortage since long, the officials of the KWSB had not yet bothered to ensure uninterrupted supply, making their lives miserable in the current hot weather.
Regretting that all their complaints, which they had lodged with the KWSB officials, had remained unheeded, they said.
