October 2, 2005

The water supply system in the majority of planned and unplanned settlements in Karachi is pathetic. That explains the recent tragedy that hit some parts of the city. It’s time the authorities woke up to the situation before it leads to some other catastrophes

There was utter chaos on Sept 16, 2005 in some areas of Karachi. It was a day of mass anxiety in Awami Colony, Dawood Challi, Sherpao Colony and adjoining squatter settlements in Landhi. Hapless area residents were rushing to take their severely dehydrated and sick family members to nearby hospitals. Most of the affected were children. The malady’s attack was so severe that conditions of a sizable number of patients deteriorated rapidly. All hell broke loose when the news of the first death — the innocent one-year-old Sania — came out. Another one-year-old passed away by sunset. The number began to rise adding anguish and anger to the grief-stricken communities. The cause of the tragedy was more than obvious — contaminated water. The usual lip-service ensued from the quarters concerned. The advice to boil drinking water by health care professionals; the resolve of the chief minister not to spare the culprits; witch-hunting eventually pointing to the junior lot of utility employees and assurance to the affected for taking concrete steps to redress the situation were the spot outcomes. For those who already lost their near and dear ones, these promises sounded hollow.

The epidemic did not stop at these few localities. Reports from other squatter settlements in Karachi east and south have begun pouring in. The status of water supply service in the megapolis is anything but satisfactory. It is most disappointing to note that scores of detailed research studies have pointed towards potentials disasters in the making since several years, but the insensitive authorities did not pay any heed to it. Awami Colony and adjoining areas have only rung the warning bell.

The water supply system is pathetic in the majority of unplanned (and even planned) settlements in the city. The worst hit are squatters and other category of low-income areas in the city. During a recently concluded field research in the geographically spread-out localities, the veracity of this fact was established. Talib Colony, Liaquatabad, Karim Bux Para near Dalima Cement Factory, Mujahid Colony near KDA Officers Society, Welfare Colony, Main University Road, Metroville-III, Abul Hasan Isphani Road, Mansoor Nagar, Orangi Town Extension, Singhu Lane, Lyari, Shah Rasool Colony, behind Old Clifton, Bilal Colony, Korangi and Ittehad Town in Baldia were found to have primitive supply arrangements.

There is a myth that water supply is poor only in low-income communities. The reality is otherwise. A sampling examination conducted to test water quality from different city locations revealed that 97 per cent samples were unfit for drinking. All these samples required appropriate treatment. It is just that due to awareness about public health and better purchasing power, the middle and upper income groups either obtain bottled water or resort to filtration, ultra-violet treatment devices or simply boiling. The poor neither have awareness nor the means to make water safe for consumption.

Conventionally, piped water supply is the usual mode through which households in both planned and unplanned localities get the supply. Barring a few very remote locations, the network of pipes has been found to exist. This network has been laid down by multiple agencies through various formats. Departmental works under municipal bodies and housing societies, special programme by the Sindh Katchi Abadis Authority (SKAA), works executed under MNA/MPA/senators’ funds, councillors’ initiative and self-help efforts by the residents have been the common formats. The poor quality of work, dubious locational choices, the lack of prevention from hazards such as adjoining sewers/drains and inappropriate connections with secondary or main supply lines are common ailments. As a consequence, water quality is affected by the mixing of impurities of a lethal nature. The supply of piped water is facilitated by a massive pumping operation. However, as the linear length of city water mains is very high, the pressure of supply starts falling down.

Underground piping system is well past its designed life in the southern and central parts of the city. Due to the lack of routine maintenance causing seepage and leakage, a lot of water is lost. The use of poor quality construction material in repairs, uneven carpeting of roads and rampant/unplanned increase in the award of connections cause a big loss of water. In 1996, when water was pumped with full pressure in Orangi (Sector 11), half of the neighbourhood was inundated due to mass scale leakages in distribution lines. Broken, leaking and porous water pipes usually absorb impurities.

The KWSB has not taken the issue of the supply network system into consideration on a comprehensive basis. This survey is vital to spot the leakage and theft points; establish the actual number of connections to review consumer statistics; understand the technical parameters such as water supply pressures and closeness to other infrastructural conduits such as sewerage and power. Such a survey is also vital to develop an effective operation and maintenance scheduling — a pre-requisite for a dependable and sustainable water supply system. There are many areas where the water supply network has been completely modified after adhoc connections, road cutting adjustments and even densifications. These happenings need to be properly documented.

Water vending is a booming business in the city. What evolved as an emergency service by the KWSB to serve its clientele has become a full-fledged enterprise awaiting official recognition. According to the Karachi Water Tanker Association, more than 8.5 million gallons of water per day is distributed through 50,000 tanker trips each day. Water deficient neighbourhoods, peripheral squatters, construction sites, industrial enterprises, temporary congregations and special locations such as sacrificial animal market are its routine clients. Vending water is at least 23 times more expensive than piped water. Besides, the city has dozens of illegal boreholes/hydrants that supply saline or brackish water for non-drinking uses. Due to scarcity, some dwellers are forced to use this water for drinking as well. The illegal hydrant at Sakran in the limits of Balochistan is a special mention. This hydrant comprises several deep dug bores that are made to operate by diesel pumps as there is no electricity supply in this far away location. Water tankers reach this location on a daily basis and obtain a fill for onward supply to Orangi and Orangi extension areas. The water is brackish and certainly not fit for drinking. In the absence of municipal supplies, residents of Gulshan-i-Bihar, parts of Mansoor Nagar and Gulshan-i-Zia are made to drink water from this source. Needless to say that it is a public health hazard in the offing.

Water theft is an organized enterprise. It is of various kinds. Puncturing main siphons in the eastern suburbs, illegal connections to the distribution lines, stealing from bulk consumer lines and using high power suction devices are a few types. According to a former managing director of the KWSB, 35 per cent supply is lost due to leakage and theft. There is no system or schedule to distribute water at the lane or sub-neighbourhood level. Usually, the theft points are such locations which are invisible. Thus ditches, nullahs and other depression points constitute ideal choices. These spots are normally filled with dirt, causing automatic injection of impurities into the water supply stream.

The operation and maintenance of piped infrastructure is a core issue with respect to the loss of water quality. In the past, infrastructural components were laid down in bits and pieces by different agencies. Whereas pipe lines were laid down in the localities, it was not a guarantee to water supply. Thus residents were forced to use illegal means. The use of suction pumps was found to be a common alternative. Water mains had been broken to obtain illegal connections which affected the water pressure and hampered in appropriate supply. In Metroville-III which was a planned settlement, almost every house had installed illegal suction pumps to draw quantities of water not sanctioned for their area. In Singhu Lane, the KWSB was reported to have taken lateral connections to Bagh-i-Jinnah (a city park) and Machar Colony (a katchi abadi). This further reduced the already scarce quantity of supply. In Shah Rasool Colony, KWSB staff was reported to have provided lateral illegal connections to various other localities in the vicinity. This act reduced the quantity of supply and pressure. Suction pumps also sucked in the impurities along with the water supply stream.

Substandard pipes and construction components were a reason for the operational water losses and the decline in the water quality level. It was found that in all the situations, the job was executed through contractors. Monitoring and quality supervision in public works was often negligible. Besides, due to ultra-low rates of tenders, the contractors used very low-quality materials resulting in an instant decay of the system. Technical or performance audit, which is a usual norm of civil/construction works, was not observed. In Karim Bux Para, the PHED allowed the use of low-grade PVC pipes. This gave rise to quick decay and huge water losses during the operation. Costs of repair and maintenance also increased several times due to substandard construction. Agencies concerned found it difficult to bear the costs of high maintenance because of low budget allocations for the purpose.

There was no routine followed for the regular maintenance of the water supply infrastructure. Procedures and systems were also not defined for the purpose. Only during crisis situations repair works were undertaken. If the problem was of a localized nature, area residents normally got together and looked into the problem. However, when the problem required a higher level of technical input, people approached the agency concerned for help. The damage to a water main, leakage in a line, defect in pumping or mixing of drinking water with sewerage were some commonly occurring problems where a repair/maintenance response became a necessity. Similarly, whenever a development work in another sector was undertaken which affected the water supply system, repair became inevitable. In Bilal Colony, road cutting and carpeting damaged water mains which could only be repaired with the assistance of the KWSB. Other localities also faced the same problem.

Delays in occupancy after the completion of construction works led to the damages of water supply lines. The water lines in Bilal Colony, which were laid for the area, were constantly damaged because of seasonal floods in the nearby Malir River. In Mansoor Nagar and Metroville-III, a similar situation was witnessed. Heavy traffic damaged the lines in Metroville-III, which continued to move in the area. The core issue is that the infrastructure was laid under a development authority which handed over the scheme to municipality according to the normal procedure. After that point in time, the said authority did not take responsibility for any damage which was done to the infrastructure. The municipality or even the KWSB showed their inability to repair the system either due to paucity of funds or denial of the responsibility for damages not done during their period of ownership.

Water lines were usually laid in the same trenches from where the sewerage lines were either passing or laid afterwards. Due to soil settlement, unequal pressure of fluids, damages caused by movement of traffic or construction/excavation at the site or in a nearby location, sewerage and drinking water lines were broken leading to the mixing of both the types. This also happened because water was either pumped by the authority or the suction pumps installed in various individual houses, which create a greater thrust for drinking water to move. The problem was most severe where the old system existed. Lyari (Singhu Lane) was a prominent example. The pipes were several decades old and had been damaged beyond repair.

The water supply network was laid in a haphazard manner without proper plans and layouts. Different agencies laid the network without sharing the information with other agencies. The technical staff had to work on a hit-and-miss basis. In Singhu Lane, Lyari, this problem was found to be severe. The KWSB did not have a clue to the paths from which such lines were passing. Physical surveys were also not conducted to verify the location of the lines. Even large scale development projects for augmenting water supply were laid down without technical verification of the locations or establishment of basic levels. When individuals fiddled around with the lines for petty benefits, such points became vulnerable for absorbing impurities.

The Hub River was among the main sources of water supply that provided 100mgd, mostly to areas of Karachi West. Due to scanty rains, this source had almost dried out. The locations that fall along the western fringe were badly affected. Mansoor Nagar and other locations in Orangi Town were severely hit. They were entirely dependent on tankers and donkey carts which were purchased commercially. The water lines which had been laid in these locations were damaged as they had not been used for a long period. Water shortage remained a major issue throughout the city. This adversely affected the overall performance of water supply infrastructure in low-income settlements. Bilal Colony, Shah Rasool Colony, Singhu Lane (Lyari), Karim Buksh Para, Ittehad Town, Mujahid Colony and Metroville-III were among the locations included in the study which suffered from acute shortages of water. The majority of these locations were entirely dependent on external modes of water vending which were expensive and non-reliable.

Assessing the situation in entirety, it can be said that these days many scientific options for water quality management are available which can be adopted. World organizations such as the International Water Association (IWA) and the World Bank have developed “performance indicator-based” tool kits to monitor the characteristics of a supply system including water quality. Obviously, in big cities such as Karachi, the nature of pollutants vary. From faecal coliforms and other bacterial contaminants to chemical/industrial pollutants, the range is a wide one. The remedy can only be worked out when the cause is specifically determined. It may be remembered that water supply is an extremely sensitive service. According to a World Health Organization (WHO) report, 240 grams of a lethal chemical is enough to convert four mgd of water into poison. With the present socio-economic chaos and impending terrorist threats from various quarters, there is a need for an extremely vigilant water quality monitoring system.

City and higher authorities must pay heed to this wake-up call. Comprehensive analyses and rehabilitation planning must be organized on a wide scale. Corresponding implementation should not be delayed till the citizens face another disastrous situation. At present, the federal government is trying to prepare a draft for the national water and sanitation policy. In its framework, the issues pertinent to such ground realities must be incorporated.

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