KARACHI, Feb 13: Owing to the excessive leakages, 45 per cent of the total supply of drinking water is being wasted daily, which can cause severe crisis of water anytime in the metropolis.

The water losses show that the launching of new projects for water supply will be of no use unless water theft and leakages are checked.

A visit to different pumping stations showed that in SITE and Orangi towns, thousands of gallons water was being wasted and the officials had turned a blind eye towards the water loss. In the jurisdiction of Zia Pumping Station in Orangi No. 10, a 15-inch pipe line had developed a wide leakage and water was going into a sewerage line.

Area residents said the situation had persisted for about 15 years and officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board were also well aware of the water loss.

They said that underground leakages had not only weakened the foundations of their houses, but also contaminating the potable water, adding that: “When there is no supply of water, sewage enters the lines that fill our water tanks.” A woman said that the leakage had created a deep well which posed a serious threat to the lives of children playing in the locality. Sewage was also found overflowing on a link road from Orangi No. 4 to Kashmir Town during the visit.

Almost all the pumping stations are in pathetic condition. Not only their pipes leak, the level of water tanks is also very low, causing water to overflow during rain. The shortage of staff is a common problem everywhere and the work is taken from unskilled staff like watchmen.

A KWSB source said the much-publicised K-III project had failed to provide more water to the city as expected. He revealed that about 45 per cent of the total supply of water was being wasted due to illegal connections and leakages in the obsolete pipelines.