KARACHI: Water supply worsens as rationing proves failure
By Azizullah Sharif
KARACHI, Nov 16: Water supply schedule of almost all localities hooked to the Indus source has been badly disrupted since the enforcement of a water- holiday system in the city, a number of residents of water-starved localities told Dawn.
“Before the introduction of the water-holiday system we were getting supply on alternate days, but since the introduction of this system our localities often go without water for at least two days in a week, and we neither know the days nor the duration of our supply,” residents complained, saying: “Since the KWSB’s complaint centres are working on paper only, we do not know where to lodge complaints.”
Refuting the KWSB’s claim that it is applying water shutoff only once in a week in the localities being fed from the Indus source, residents of the affected localities complained that the so-called one-day shutoff is usually extended to 2-3 days at a stretch.
As a result, we are forced to either consume sub-soil unhygienic water or buy private tankers at exorbitant rates.
The KWSB with the purpose of overcoming water shortage in the localities hooked to the Hub dam’s dried up reservoir introduced water-holiday system about a month ago in the localities getting supply from the Indus source.
The KWSB has been applying water shutoff once in a week in the localities hooked to the Indus source to divert water to the sprawling townships of Orangi, Baldia, Surjani, North Karachi, Shershah and parts of the SITE industrial area following the stoppage of their supply from the Hub source.
Suspecting some foul play in the introduction of the water-holiday system, residents of the affected areas claimed that the KWSB had in fact spread the water shortage problem to the entire city, instead of keeping it confined to only those localities which had gone dry following the stoppage of supply from the Hub source.
Accusing the KWSB of not making its water supply and distribution systems transparent, they suggested that the KWSB made public the new timings of water supply as they were unaware of timings and days when they were supposed to get water supply after the introduction of the water-holiday system.
Insiders in the KWSB confirmed that the KWSB’s water-holiday system had proved a failure as the KWSB had neither managed to overcome the water shortage in the localities hooked to the Hub source nor had it succeeded in streamlining supply in the areas being fed from the Indus source.
They told Dawn that “the water-holiday system has not only badly affected the water supply schedule of the localities getting their supply from the Indus source, but in most cases the duration of supply of various localities has also been curtailed.”
“In fact, timings of supplying water to various localities had been changed soon after the introduction of the water-holiday system in the city. So residents of most localities do not know the new timings of their supply as no announcement has so far been made in this regard,” they added.
Recalling that no water holiday-system was adopted by the previous management of the KWSB when a similar situation had arisen after the Hub dam reservoir had gone dry in July 1999, the sources said water supply in all the localities hooked to the Hub source and those being fed from the Indus source had not assumed such an alarming situation after July 1999 as was being experienced now by almost the entire city, despite the introduction of the water-holiday system and having an extra 40mgd water as compared to the supply position in July 1999.
The city had received an additional 40mgd of water from the Indus source in the midst of a severe shortage of water in July 1999.
Citing other reasons for the persisting water shortage and protest demonstrations now taking place in water-starved localities, the sources said the water supply situation in Orangi, Baldia and Surjani had not deteriorated to such an extent when the Hub dam had earlier gone dry because at that time the KWSB, in cooperation with the Rangers, had made an elaborate contingency plan whereby water-starved townships of former district West used to get water through bowsers and from a large number of Awami tanks which were built in the townships.
However, the Awami tanks, which the KWSB had built at a huge cost, had now been rendered useless due to poor maintenance, and also because the number of tankers which were earlier deployed for supplying water to the affected localities of former district West had decreased considerably.
SHORTAGE: Several parts of the city experienced an acute shortage of water on Saturday.
The hard-hit areas included Kashmir Colony, Akhtar Colony, different blocks of Federal B-Area, Clifton’s blocks 2 and 5, North Karachi’s Shadman Town, Sector 11-C-One, parts of Lyari, different sectors of Orangi, Baldia and Surjani Town.
Complaining that their localities had been without water for the past five days, residents of Kashmir Colony and Akhtar Colony threatened that they would be compelled to block the main Korangi Road if the supply did not improve in the next couple of days.
The localities which went dry on Saturday as part of the KWSB’s water- holiday plan included the entire PECHS, KDA Scheme-1, Sharfabad, Karachi Television Centre, KACHS, the Civic Centre and its adjoining localities, Mehmoodabad No 5, Liaquatabad, Gharibabad, Furqanabad, Bandhani Colony and parts of Nazimabad.
Liaquat National Hospital and Aga Khan Hospital also did not receive water on Saturday.
