KARACHI, April 6: Water crisis continue to persist in various parts of the city owing to manipulation in valve operation system as well as diversion of 15 million gallons of Indus water to the areas hooked to Hub dam source.

The affected localities include parts of Lines Area, North Nazimabad’s blocks B (Hussain D’ Silva Town), C, D, I and S, Pak Colony, Landhi’s Area 2-B blocks (1 to 77), Gulshan-e-Iqbal’s blocks 13-D, 13-D/1, Pak Colony, Clifton’s Block 2.

The sources claimed complaints of acute water shortage have been pouring in, especially from those localities where valve operation was not being performed in a proper manner.

Another cause of persisting water shortage is diversion of 15 million gallons of Indus water to the localities hooked to the Hub source through Ajmair Nagri and Board Office pumping stations.

When told that the KWSB officials had been attributing water shortage to frequent power failures at the KWSB’s bulk pumping stations, sources said pumping of water from Pipri, Gharo, Dumlottee, NEK (K-2) pumping stations was disrupted last month owing to power failures, but nowadays water shortage problem is taking place owing to manipulation in valve operation.

Citing examples of valve operation manipulation, they said a vast area of Lines Area, particularly where NC Flats and Army flats, was nowadays experiencing an acute water shortage merely because the locality’s valve, commonly known as Godeon Cinema valve, which is supposed to be opened at 10 pm was nowadays being opened at 5am.

Similar complaints have been received from North Nazimabad’s Block B (Hussain D’Silva Town).

Residents of Pak Colony said they been experiencing water shortage for the last one-and-a-half month as most of nearby marble factories had installed suction pumps to fetch water from pipelines.

In the absence of piped water, private water tankers are in high demand but they are supplying turbid water, said a woman of the locality.