May 24, 2008	Saturday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 18, 1429

KARACHI, May 23: After years of hue and cry by people, two hydrants in Muslimabad were finally closed down late Friday night in pursuance of a Sindh High Court order.

Tanker operation from the Muslimabad hydrant, established in 1950, and the Sydnum hydrant, located in the same residential area, will come to an end from Saturday, providing great relief to area residents as the frequent movement of 9,000 to 10,000 tankers drawing water from these two hydrants daily had made their life miserable.

Both the hydrants had become a permanent source of nuisance for the area residents. Neither the Rangers who controlled the water tanker service for nine long years nor the KWSB which owned the hydrants ever thought of providing relief to the residents of Muslimabad, Catholic Colony, Shikarpur Colony and Khudadad Colony by closing down the hydrants.

However, the KWSB had to close down both the hydrants – Muslimabad and Sydnum – only after it was ordered to do so by the High Court of Sindh while giving its verdict in a constitutional petition (No D-2116/2006) on April 24, 2008.

A couple of years back the KWSB had closed down all the private hydrants set up along the Lyari River bank, as the frequent movement of tankers drawing water from them had devastated a major portion of Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar Road (from Tin Hatti to Lasballa traffic intersections).

Muslimabad hydrants, however, continued to function in the residential locality.

The shuttling of thousands of water tankers to and from both the hydrants not only left Dadabhoy Nauroji Road, a portion of Shahrah-i-Quaideen and Kashmir Road in ruins, but also disturbed the peace and tranquility of the residential localities.

The KWSB chief coordinator for tanker service, Misbahuddin Fareed, told Dawn that control of all the hydrants, which the board had got back from Rangers on May 10, had been handed over to the town municipal administrations. He advised people who were earlier seeking water from Muslimabad hydrants that they may contact administration of their respective towns.

He explained that Orangi Town residents may contact Sakhi Hassan hydrant, Baldia Town’s residents approach the newly set-up hydrant at Manghopir, Saddar residents may contact Clifton hydrant while Keamari residents can contact the hydrant in their town.

Defence residents, who were getting water from Muslimabad hydrants, have been asked to contact the DHA for supplying them water through tankers as the water board was not responsible to supply them water from its hydrants.