KARACHI, April 25: Fed up with persisting water shortage, residents of various water-starved localities have started making their own arrangement of getting water through boring wells.
Residents in a number of multi-storied buildings of different localities, especially those situated in Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Gulshan-i-Iqbal, are meeting their water requirements from wells as a huge quantity of water they are supplied through pipelines is quite insufficient to meet their water needs.
“The lingering water problem has compelled us to such an extent that we have now only two choices i.e. either we should grease the palm of valvesmen for ensuring uninterrupted supply or to go for digging of wells to overcome water shortage,” a perturbed resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 2 said, adding the residents’ association of his apartment building had opted for digging a well instead of paying illegal gratification to the valvesmen.”
“In fact, we had to take such a decision as whenever we approached the executive engineer concerned to apprise him about the persisting water shortage, he would either suggest us to dig up well or wait till the commissioning of 100 MGD K-III project,” he added.
Residents of Ambreen apartment building, situated in Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 2, said they are deprived of water for the last one week and whenever they contacted the XEN concerned to ascertain the cause of non-availability of water, they were always assured by him that their supply would be restored in a couple of days.
Similar complaints have been received from residents of Apsara apartments, Five-Star Complex and a large number of nearby bungalows, situated in Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 2.
Complaints of persisting water shortage have also been received from Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s blocks 4, 4-A (Journalists’ Society), 5, 13-D and 13-D/1.
Residents of `Civic View’ apartment building, housing around 575 apartments, deplored that although they have been experiencing acute water shortage for the last two months, the KWSB’s superintending engineer and XEN of Gulshan-i-Iqbal Town have not yet bothered to take measures to restore their supply despite a number of complaints lodged with them from time to time.
“Isn’t it an irony that both the KWSB officials have even ignored the directives of their managing director who has repeatedly asked them to ensure smooth supply in our apartment building by rectifying the fault responsible for short supply,” remarked a resident of the building.
The other localities which are either going dry or getting scant supply for the last one month include different blocks of North Nazimabad and North Karachi, Clifton’s Block 2, Bath Island’s Gulshan-i-Faisal, parts of Baghdadi, New Challi, Kharadar, Mithadar, Ramswami, Pakistan Chowk, Haquani Chowk, Mehmoodabad, Ashraf Colony.
Residents of the affected localities said in the absence of piped water, they have no choice but to either purchase private tankers at exorbitant rates or consume sub-soil unhygienic water at the cost of their health.
