KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board on Tuesday shelved a controversial plan that envisaged setting up of a water hydrant in Saadi Town to meet the requirement in Keamari after it attracted strong criticism both from political and social circles raising question over the proposed facility for a densely populated area at a place more than 30-kilometre away from it.

They also questioned the logic behind setting up the hydrant for catering to the water needs of hundreds of thousands of residents of one locality by depriving people of another area.

The KWSB, though failed to provide any reason behind the move and offer any argument to prove its effectiveness, insisted that the plan was being prepared in the ‘larger interest’ of Karachiites.

However, following strong protests by the people it had to call off the move.

Sale of water thru tankers was proposed for Keamari from hydrant 30km away

The KWSB had issued a tender notice seeking bids for setting up a hydrant in Saadi Town — a fast-growing housing scheme in Scheme 33 stating that the facility would provide water via a tanker/bowser service to residents of Keamari — an area located at least 30 kilometres away from Saadi Town.

“A separate hydrant has been proposed for Keamari district which will be set up over a water line called GK in Saadi Town,” said a brief KWSB statement.

It did not explain that who actually ‘proposed’ the idea to set up the hydrant at a place more than 30 kilometres away from its supply destination.

Allegations of corruption

The controversial plan with no sound explanation made the proposal further disputed and invited strong reaction from different segments of the society.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” said Leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh.

“There must be a reason behind this childish proposal. And the people of Karachi and other parts of Sindh know it well that there will be some sort of corruption and an opportunity to extort money from people and a chance to misappropriate funds, which has provoked the Pakistan Peoples Party government to design such a foolish plan,” he said.

Later in the day, a number of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf workers led by party MNA Aslam Khan converged on the KWSB head office on Sharea Faisal to stage a protest against the proposed hydrant.

Carrying placards and chanting slogans against the KWSB, the protesters vowed to resist the move, which they said, would not only deprive the people of other areas of water, but also damage roads and put the people at the mercy of the ‘tanker mafia’.

Within a couple of hours, the KWSB came up with an urgent announcement for the bidders waiting for the tender to be opened on Tuesday.

“Due to unavoidable circumstances, the technical proposal for auction of potable water supply through tankers to district Keamari from North East Karachi pumping station, Saadi Town KWSB Karachi has been cancelled,” it said without mentioning any reason behind the fresh and sudden decision.

Published in Dawn, February 9th, 2022