I AM a consumer of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) with water consumer number P 031 0200 000-A for house number 179-C, Alamgeer Society, Model Colony, Karachi. I regularly pay my water bill without a single default.

However, for the last three months I and six adjoining houses have received no water through our water connections. It is painful to see that the entire area (mostly non-payers of KWSB bills) is receiving ample water supply but we, the legal consumers, go thirsty owing to some fault in line or owing to negligence on the part of the water board staff.

In order to register my complaint, I visited the office of KWSB’s executive director at Malir Kala Board on May 11 twice and the managing director at Karsaz Sharea Faisal on May 14, between 11.30am and 12 noon but found their offices locked.

One kind-hearted fellow at the MD’s office told me that KWSB’s water supply related offices were closed because of the lockdown and no complaint could be registered. He was there to collect surface mail received for the MD’s office.

While water is perhaps the most essential commodity for life, KWSB’s water supply offices are closed in extreme hot weather owing to lockdown. Does not the water supply from KWSB fall in essential services?

Frustrated and with no other option I have sent my complaint to the offices of MD and executive engineer through Pakistan Post’s registered mail. The registry invoice is with me for record.

In the meantime, I lodged a complaint in this regard, with the Sindh government’s helpline 1093 on May 12 and received a complaint number 578 on my mobile phone. It was really encouraging to have my call heard on a government helpline.

However, any further response on the subject matter is still awaited from any department. The minister for local governments and MD of KWSB should resolve the issue.

Name withheld on request

Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2020