KARACHI, April 24: Water crisis continues to persist in various parts of the city reportedly owing to the mismanagement in valve operation system, causing resentment among the residents of water-starved localities in this hot and humid weather.

The seriousness of the issue could be gauged from the fact that number of localities which are either getting scant supply or deprived of water are continuously increasing with each passing day.

The hard-hit localities include Gulshan-i-Iqbal’s blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 13-A, 13-D, 13-D/1, Clifton’s Block 2, parts of Bath Island, Pak Colony, Old Golimar, Kharadar, Mithadar, Ramswami, Ranchorre Lines, Pakistan Chowk, Haquani Chowk, Burnes Road, different blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, North Karachi’s sectors 5C-1, 5C-2, 5C-3, 7B-1, 7B-2, 7B-3, 11-A and 11-B, North Nazimabad’s blocks B, C, H, L, S and T, Nazimabad No 3, entire area surrounding Spencer’s Eye Hospital, Behar pumping station, parts of Malir, Saudia Colony, Landhi, Korangi and Orangi’s Sector 11 ½ and Ittehad Colony.

Accusing the KWSB officials of creating artificial water shortage for boosting the sale of private tankers, they said that although water crisis had been persisting in their localities since the advent of the summer season, the officials concerned were taking no measures to help resolve this issue despite a number of complaints had been lodged with them.

Endorsing views of the residents of the affected localities that the engineers concerned were paying no heed to their complaints, sources in the KWSB told Dawn that most of the engineers were taking more interest in implementing millions of rupees projects assigned to them under the Tameer-i-Karachi Programme (TKP), instead of discharging their basic responsibility of ensuring equitable distribution of water in the localities that fall under their jurisdictions.

“Believe me that since they (engineers) are heavily occupied with the TKP’s projects they are not in a position to supervise the valve operation system and hence, nowadays the entire water distribution system is being managed by valve-men,” the insiders added. Taking undue advantage of the situation private tankers have been doing roaring business in the water-starved localities.