KARACHI, May 23: Acute water shortage persists in various parts of the city in the current hot and sultry weather, forcing the residents of the affected localities to either purchase water through private tankers at exorbitant rates or consume sub-soil water at the cost of their health.

Although the water shortage complaints from different areas had been pouring in newspaper offices since the beginning of summer, the situation was aggravating with each passing day partly owing to faulty water distribution system and partly because of indifferent attitude of the officials responsible for ensuring equal distribution of water.

A number of people residing in Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and Saddar Town complained that their complaints often remained unheeded for weeks together as KWSB chief engineers of their respective zones neither remain available in their offices nor they respond to their calls to hear their grievances.

“Such an apathy on the part of KWSB officials force us to either go for private tankers or drink unhygienic water to quench our thirst in the current hot and humid weather,” deplored a resident of Gulistan-e-Jauhar’s Block 17.

A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s Block 10 claimed that he had been visiting the KWSB offices for the last one week to apprise the chief engineer concerned of the lingering water issue but he failed. “Whenever I ask about his (chief engineer’s) whereabouts I am told that he is busy in some meetings,” he said.

Similar complaints were received from the residents of different localities of Saddar Town comprising old city areas, Clifton and Bath Island.

Many complaints have been received from Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s blocks 1, 2, 3, 17 and 19, Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s blocks 2, 10, 10-A, 13-D and 13-D/1, parts of PECHS Block 6, `E’ Market Area, Mehmoodabad, Manzoor Colony, Khudadad Colony, Jinnah Cooperative Housing Society, Al-Hamra Society, Lyari’s Baghdadi, Kalri, Bhutta Villaga, Gizri, Clifton’s blocks 2, 4 and 5, Ramswami, Ranchore Line, North Nazimabad’s blocks H, R and Hussain D’ Silva, Pak Colony and Asifabad.

Residents of Asifabad and Pak Colony complained that they were often deprived of water mainly because the KWSB’s concerned staff diverted the supply to the marble factories which had sprung up in large numbers in the area.