KARACHI: Taking notice of a worsening water crisis in the metropolis, Mayor barrister Murtaza Wahab, who is also the chairman of the board of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), on Wednesday ordered strict action against operators of hydrants and tankers fleecing citizens by selling water at exorbitant rates.

Officials said that the mayor took a serious notice of the growing complaints of people regarding overcharging by private water tanker operators. He also ordered the constitution of a committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.

They said that the three-member committee was directed to investigate and ascertain the identity of the tanker operators and hydrants involved in the unauthorised increase in the rates of water tankers and submit its report within 10 days.

The water crisis has been making people’s life miserable lately as the city has been receiving nearly half of its routine supply since several main supply lines burst in the past three months, leaving major areas without water supply.

Wahab says any hydrant or tanker found guilty of fleecing citizens will face legal action

The city that requires over 1,200 million gallons of water daily (MGD) gets 400 MGD water or around 40 per cent out of regular supply of 650MGD due to repair work of the ruptured main lines.

Though the water utility always claims that the repair work would be completed in up to 96 hours, but it is never completed in the designated time, piling miseries on people.

Residents said that the water tanker mafia fleeced people by overcharging whenever there was short supply of water in the city.

A resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal said that the water tanker operators charged twice of the officially notified rates, taking advantage of the water crisis in the city, leaving people with no option but to pay excessive price for water.

“What will you do when you don’t have any other means to get water for daily use?”, he wondered saying that the people were compelled to pay whatever the price they [tanker operators] demanded.

According to the order issued by the KWSC chief executive officer, the committee will submit detailed information, including the identity of the tanker registration numbers and the names of the drivers involved in the activity.

The order said: “It has come to the attention of the competent authority that tanker operators have unilaterally increased their rates without any prior notice to or approval from the KWSC in clear violation of the terms of their contract. This act is deemed an offence and is entirely unacceptable.”

It said that a committee to investigate the matter was constituted to investigate the matter and it would submit its final report within 10 working days from the date of issuance of the order.

The sources said that the mayor also instructed the authorities concerned to obtain detailed records and operational data from all tanker operators involved in water distribution.

In a statement, the mayor said that the objective to initiate investigation into overcharging by tanker operators was to ensure transparency and identify those responsible for exploiting citizens.

“The concerns of Karachi’s residents are valid and cannot be ignored. Any operator found guilty of overcharging will face strict legal action,” he added.

The KWSC chairman further said that the city administration would not tolerate any form of exploitation, especially in essential services like water supply. “The inquiry aims to restore public confidence and ensure fair practices in water distribution,” he added.

The mayor reaffirmed his commitment to transparency, public service, and accountability across all sectors of municipal governance.

In another development two days ago, the water utility had replaced the in-charge of Hydrant Services Tanker Operation.

On Wednesday, the chief engineer of the bulk main water supply lines, Zafar Palejo, was also replaced with Superintendent Engineer Syed Muhammad Ijaz.

Published in Dawn, May 15th, 2025