KARACHI: Delay hits city govt takeover of hydrants
By Our Staff Reporter
KARACHI, July 10: The city government’s plan of ‘one hydrant for one town’ has hit further delay as sources close to the city government have apprehended that it might take another 10 days to materialise.
The plan is aimed at reducing the number of water tankers, besides restricting their movement to the only town they are meant for.
At present, the Rangers are operating nine hydrants belonging to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and the tankers at their disposal shuttle between a filling station and a destination in any part of the city.
While the KWSB is set to take control of the hydrants, it intends to regulate the operation of the hydrant and movement of the tankers in a manner that the hazards involved are minimised, besides ensuring that each town has one hydrant.
The KWSB, after relieving the Rangers of their responsibility of operating the hydrants, will give control of each hydrant to the town in which it exists.
The tankers belonging to one hydrant will not be authorised to move into the jurisdiction of any other hydrant. In order to check any violation, every town will allot a particular colour scheme for the tankers of its hydrant.
Saddar Town Nazim Mohammad Dilawar told Dawn on Tuesday that it will take 10 more days for the hydrants in his town to become operational. He said that the city government’s plan provides for two hydrants in Saddar Town.
“One of the hydrants is being set up near the Clifton Bridge and the other near the Zoological Garden,” he said, adding that the work on the scheme was nearing completion. He said the town did not have an official hydrant previously.
Meanwhile, North Nazimabad Town Nazim Mumtaz Hameed has stated that his town was ready to take control of the Sakhi Hasan hydrant. However, he was unclear about a mechanism to regulate water distribution through tankers in the town constituting one-fourth of the metropolis.
Liaquatabad Town Nazim Osama Qadri said that the work for the setting up of a hydrant in his town was in its final stage whereas pumping machines would be installed within a week time.
