THIS refers to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) which has decided to legalise eight water hydrants in the city. Now that the KWSB has taken full responsibility for overseeing this business, it should also take responsibility for all the related costs to the national exchequer.

Each water tanker burns about six litres of diesel on an average round trip of 30km around the city. With each hydrant filling about 300 tankers, a total of 2,400 deliveries are made from all eight hydrants requiring 14,400 litres of diesel per day.

With the average price of diesel being Rs180 and the US dollar conversion rate being Rs250, the water tanker business costs the country about $10,000 per day.

KWSB should focus on fixing pipelines and pumping water rather than joining hands with the tanker mafia. The monthly savings worth $300,000 of precious foreign exchange in this time of need should be ample motivation to get the house in order.

Ahmer N. Jakartawala
Karachi

Published in Dawn, January 27th, 2023