KARACHI: Home to more than 22 million people, Karachi faces a 50 per cent water shortfall that may increase in the coming years particularly in extreme hot weather conditions, it emerged during a seminar on Tuesday.

Tilted ‘The heatwave and water shortage’, the seminar allowed officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, environmentalists and others to express their views on the issue.

It was pointed out at the event that the Hub dam, which earlier supplied 100 million gallons a day water to the city, had dried up while there was no indication that political wrangling between the federal and provincial governments over water allocation for the next two phases of Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-4) would end any time soon.

The seminar, which was jointly organised by the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) and Ferozan Forum at PMA House, was informed that the water project was being launched after a delay of 10 years, though international studies suggested the city should receive an additional supply of 100MGD water every three years given its growing population.

Giving a presentation on the heatwave that hit the city last year, Dr Waqar Ahmed of Karachi University’s Institute of Environmental Studies said factors such as the urban heat island effect, absence of an efficient public transport system, deforestation and lack of green spaces in the city contributed to making weather conditions unbearable.

Climate moderators

“Mangrove forests are climate moderators. Massive deforestation of mangroves is being observed all over the city. This is being done by big organisations such as Karachi Port Trust, the Defence Housing Authority and Port Qasim,” he said.

Due to rapid and haphazard urbanization, fruit gardens around Malir, Lalukhet, Gadap, Golimar, Haji Murad Goth, Shah Faisal, Alfalah, Korangi and Landhi had been lost in the recent past, Dr Ahmed said.

KWSB official Ayub Sheikh spoke about the water woes the city had been facing for a long time. He said the current water demand was 1,080MGD, while the city received between 500MGD and 550MGD.

“No water project has been carried out in the city since 2006 following the completion of K-III project. Multiple issues delayed the implementation of K-IV which will supply 260MGD after the completion of its phase one in two years,” he said.

Mr Sheikh claimed that the KWSB had rehabilitated its system and would ensure uninterrupted water supply to Karachi to combat heatwave.

About weather conditions, meteorologist Mohammad Tauseef Alam said that temperature recorded in other parts of the country (Larkana 49 degrees Celsius, Turbat 49 degrees Celsius and Sibi 49 degrees Celsius) was higher than what was in Karachi (45 degrees Celsius) during last year’s heatwave, deaths didn’t occur in those areas.

“Low air pressure, high humidity and absence of wind make the weather conditions worse and played a key role in making the heat unbearable.”

Karachi Metropolitan Corporation administrator Roshan Ali Sheikh was of the opinion that civil society needed to build up pressure on the government to perform its duties.

“Our state of affairs have come to a point that unless the civil society builds a pressure, the government doesn’t respond. Hence, I urge people to speak their minds and do not demonstrate tolerance towards corruption and malpractices.”

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2016