KARACHI: City Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Sunday inaugurated a rehabilitated Garden Water Pumping Station, restored after remaining non-operational for at least 21 years.

Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, the mayor, who is also the chairman of the board of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), said the pumping station was installed in 2005, but its machinery could not be operated because the facility did not have an electricity connection from the Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Limited, now known as K-Electric (KE). He said the rehabilitation of the station had been completed at a cost of Rs30.25 million, and water supply from the facility would begin immediately.

According to an official statement, under the rehabilitation project, the civil structure, panel room, staff room and boundary walls were repaired. Two 125-horsepower electric motors were repaired, while two new motor control boards were also installed. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and low-tension cables of various sizes were also supplied and installed.

The mayor said the restored facility would supply water through a 24-inch-diameter pipeline to Nishter Road, Garden, Ghas Mandi, Ghanche Para, Ranchore Line, Ramswami and adjoining areas. Water would also be supplied to Mirza Adam Khan Road, Dhobi Ghat, Lyari and surrounding localities.

An 18-inch-diameter line would provide water to Usmanabad, Badshahi Road, Azeem Plaza and adjoining areas, he added.

He said around 300,000 residents would benefit from the restoration of the Garden Pumping Station, while the water supply system in Garden, Soldier Bazaar, Lyari and nearby areas would also improve significantly.

The mayor said questions were often raised about the work being carried out by elected representatives, but the restoration of the pumping station demonstrated that long-neglected infrastructure could be revived. He criticised successive administrations for failing to restore the facility for more than two decades.

He also spoke about Karachi’s political history, saying the city needed development, peace and basic services rather than politics based on prejudice and division. He stressed that Karachi belonged to people of all ethnic and linguistic backgrounds.

Commenting on the Jamaat-i-Islami protest, the mayor said public issues should be highlighted without blocking roads or shutting down the city. He urged protesters to approach the relevant authorities and said Karachi’s economic and commercial activities should not be disrupted.

He said the city had made sacrifices to overcome violence and fear and that the process of development would continue. “The people of Karachi want basic facilities, peace and development,” he said, adding that the city would not be allowed to return to the politics of division and fear.

Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2026