KARACHI, March 24: Water supply situation in the city aggravated on Monday in the wake of frequent power failures that continued to hit two major pumping installations functioning under the city government’s Water and Sanitation Department.
The city, which had already suffered a shortfall of 72 million gallons of water owing to a single major power breakdown at Dhabeji Phase-II pump house on Sunday, will continue to experience water crisis for another day, Tuesday.
Normal pumping could not be carried out at NEK (Old) and K-2 pumping stations due to recurring power failures on Monday which caused to the city a loss of another 12.5 million gallons of water.
At a time when various parts of the city, particularly those belonging to former districts of East and South, remained in the grip of water shortage on Monday, two more former districts — Central and West — will either go dry or receive scant supply on Tuesday because of the lapse at the two pumping stations. Electric supply to these installations remained suspended between 3pm and 7.25pm.
According to the W&S officials, pumping of water to the city from all the four pumps at Dhabeji Phase-II station remained suspended from 10am on Sunday to 4.30am due to power failure.
The officials said that power supply to NEK (Old) pumping station, that used to supply 58 million gallons to former district West, first went off at 3.30pm and was restored at 5.15pm. Similarly, they said, power supply at K-2 pumping station, that used to supply 100mgd to certain parts of the former districts Central and West, first went off at 3pm and was restored at 5.15pm.
However, they added, power supply to both the pumping stations went off again at 5.55pm and kept on playing hide and seek after every 15 and 25 minutes till 7.15pm.
As a matter of fact, the officials said, power supply to both the pumping stations had not been normalized till 10pm because as soon as all the motors, installed at both the pumping stations, were activated, they started getting tripped one after the other.
A W&S source said that all the localities hooked to the Hub source, which include Orangi Town, Baldia Town, Surjani Town, Shershah, Site industrial Area, North Nazimabad, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town, Federal B Area and North Karachi, would experience acute water shortage on Tuesday.
The remaining parts of the city, including Landhi, Korangi, Jamshed Town, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town, Malir Town, Saddar Town, North Nazimabad, North Karachi, Buffer Zone and several cooperative housing societies and their adjoining localities which either went without water or received scant supply on # Monday, will continue to experience acute water shortage on Tuesday as well.
