UNKNOWN to most of its inhabitants, the beating heart of Karachi — the very cornerstone of its existence — lies about 50km east of this city of 20 million. It is located in the little town of Dhabeji, in the massive machines that churn day and night at the Dhabeji pumping complex, drawing out millions of gallons of water from the Indus every day and sending it forth into the metropolis. The task is a thankless one, further bedevilled by the water politics at the distribution points in the city that are a cause of so much daily frustration.

A nondescript sign at a turning on the National Highway indicates the location of the complex. There’s no mistaking where the road is taking us. A mammoth, elevated pipeline — 72 inches in diameter, we subsequently learn — speckled with patches of rust, keeps us company along the way. At intervals it is painted with the words “Rising Main 3”.

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At the end of the road is a grille gate, and beyond that a seeming oasis looms in the midst of the dry surroundings.

Inside this 35-acre facility, there are trees galore, punctuated by six large white buildings. These are the pumping stations within the complex that together supply about 550 million gallons daily (MGD) to Karachi. Although no stranger to the vagaries of water supply, residents of that city have no inkling just how precarious this process is, and why that is so.

Part of the year, Karachi also gets 100MGD from the Hub pumping station. For now though, the latter is lying idle because the Hub dam that supplies it with rainwater is dry. That makes Dhabeji pumping complex the sole source of water supply to Karachi at present.

The oldest of the pumping stations at Dhabeji, called Phase 1, dates back to 1959. A huge, airy, shed-like building, it houses five enormous, seven-cylinder motors — each of which is fitted with a 13,000rpm turbo charger — to work the pumps in the basement below. Only two of the motors are in service; one is undergoing an overhaul, while two others have been out of service for several years.

“Our biggest problem is the unavailability of spare parts, and several of these machines are anyway long past their shelf life,” said assistant executive engineer Mazhar Raees. “Some problems can be resolved locally in two or three months. Others take far longer.”

The noise inside Phase 1 is deafening, compounded by the gigantic 275 kVA generator that operates the two motors currently functional here, which run on gas and diesel.

Beneath the ground floor, in the dim light and enclosed space, the noise from the powerful pumps — that redirect into delivery pipelines the water flowing in from the Indus-fed Keenjhar lake 60km away — is even more loud and relentless, almost overpowering.

The remaining five pumping stations, which run on electricity, date between 1971 and 2006. They too work at less than maximum capacity because one or more machines are out of order.

“We are experiencing a severe financial crunch,” said executive engineer Badar Shaikh. “Our electricity bill comes to about Rs360m every year. But what can we do when not even 25pc of consumers pay their water bill?”

The sediment laden Indus water poses added risk to the machinery. Until ten years ago when it closed down, the Gharo filter plant was the first point of contact, processing the river water before it flowed into the Dhabeji pumping stations. Now, however, the machines at the complex work with entirely untreated water which degrades their parts even more rapidly.

Shortage of skilled, technical staff such as foremen and electricians is also a perennial problem. There are 180 employees at the complex, which is manned 24 hours a day in shifts.

“We have only two people per machine on one shift, whereas there should be six people to closely monitor the functioning of the equipment, the oil pressure etc,” said one of the engineers.

The 550MGD pumped from Dhabeji, known as Zero Point, is propelled through 10 “rising mains” — each one 72 inches in diameter — up to Forebay Highpoint, 210 feet above sea level. From here gravity takes over and the water, now distributed in three conduits, travels down to the filter plants in Pipri, COD hills and North East Karachi for onward distribution.

In case of a power breakdown, which the Dhabeji employees suspect is more often than not on account of the complex’s outstanding dues, the upward gradient plays a role in exerting unbearable stresses on the creaking infrastructure. “When the pumps suddenly stop working, the water rushes back to Zero Point from 210 feet,” explained executive engineer Lal Mohammed Sammoo. “The back pressure can cause a pipeline to burst, which is what happened earlier this month as well.”

Of the 180 employees, 100 live in the housing complex — a scattering of small houses around the corner — while the rest belong to nearby villages. Ironically, the men responsible for Karachi’s entire water supply only get raw, unfiltered water in their pipelines at home. But as one of them said with a laugh: “At least it’s available around the clock!”

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2015

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