KARACHI, Feb 16: The Sakhi Hassan and Low-Supply Reservoir (LSR) hydrants continue to operate despite the orders of both the Sindh governor and the city Nazim to close them down.

Round-the clock plying of tankers, originating from these hydrants, have already wrecked a number of roads and their adjacent streets. The Sakhi Hassan hydrant is situated adjacent to the former district central's deputy commissioner's office while the LSR hydrant is located just behind the Civic Centre in Gulshan-i- Iqbal.

These hydrants are the property of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board but they are being managed by Rangers' personnel. During a tour of the city on Eidul Azha, Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ibad had asked the DCO, Karachi, Mir Hussain Ali, to shift the Sakhi Hassan hydrant to another location after he was informed by the North Nazimabad Town's Naib Nazim that tankers, drawing water from the hydrant, had damaged the main road linking North Nazimabad with Federal 'B' Area. He also told the governor that tankers had also ruined the main service road and its adjoining streets in the residential area.

Highlighting the condition of ruined roads, the town's Naib Nazim had said that the main road and its adjoining streets had been repeatedly constructed but frequent tankers' movement had left these roads in such a shabby condition.

Naib Nazim Maqsood Ahmed Khan had also informed the governor that two motorcyclists had been crushed by a long trailer on the eve of Eidul Azha. The governor had immediately directed the DCO to shift the hydrant to some other location but the DCO, who accompanied the governor on the occasion, had informed the former that a decision had already been taken to shift both the Sakhi Hassan and LSR hydrants, adding that the Muslimabad hydrant would also be shifted in the next phase.

Both the hydrants continue to operate two weeks after the governor had ordered their closure. Even the City Nazim, Naimatullah Khan, had repeatedly ordered closure of not only Sakhi Hassan and LSR hydrants but also of the one situated near the Federal 'B' Area's water-pump traffic intersection but his directives also remained unheeded by the authorities concerned.

These three hydrants - Sakhi Hassan, LSR and the one located in the Federal 'B' Area - have devastated at least three main roads, including a portion of the University Road, service roads of the Buffer Zone, F.B. Area's Block 13 and several streets in Gulshan-i-Iqbal's Block 14 besides ruining roads situated on the periphery of the Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town, near the Mashrique Shopping Centre and Civic Centre's annexe building, housing KWSB's head office.

These ruined roads and their adjacent streets, which had become impassable owing to round-the-clock tankers' movement, are not only causing immense hardships to the people residing in localities where these hydrants are situated, but have also become a major source of accidents.

LSR HYDRANT: The LSR hydrant has already ruined an important road that leads to Gulshan-i-Iqbal's Block 14 besides wrecking two other streets located in the vicinity of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town Administration's Office.