KARACHI, April 23: With the deteriorating water supply position in different parts of the city, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board officials blame the Karachi Electricity Supply Corporation for water shortage due to intermittent power suspensions while the KESC spokesman claims that all water pumping stations are exempted from load-shedding.

Water board officials said the KESC had been repeatedly requested to exempt water pumping stations from load-shedding, but to no avail. It was learnt that most of the pumping stations had no generators and the worst sufferers in case of power outage were the residents of high-rise apartments, who could neither get water through tankers nor through the lines.

No generator has been installed at hundred out of total 148 water pumping stations in the city which shows that in case of load-shedding majority of the city’s population are deprived of water. The obsolete pipelines are further adding to the miseries of public, as at least 45 per cent water is wasted due leakages even from the main trunk lines.

An insider in the KWSB said the board was facing 51 million gallon daily water shortfall, as the supply at present was 629mgd while the demand was 680mgd. It was said the situation was worsening with the change in weather.

KWSB Vice Chairman Mohammad Moin Khan, when contacted, said a meeting with KESC officials was held and the issue of load-shedding was discussed with them. He said some letters were also written to the KESC besides meeting the official concerned to exempt the water pumping stations from load-shedding.

In reply to a query, he said, “We are trying to install generators at the pumping stations and seven generators would be installed through the Siemens Pakistan by June”.

A KWSB spokesman said there was no shortage of water and the problems persisted due to power load-shedding.

The Karachi Electric Supply Corporation spokesman, when contacted, said KWSB’s pumping stations were 100 per cent exempted from load-shedding. He said there was no problem in power supply to the pumping stations, saying that the power utility had always cooperated with the KWSB in this regard.

The complaints of water scarcity are frequently received from Bhittai Colony, Akhtar Colony, old city areas, PECHS Hill Area, Mahmoodabad, Baghdadi, D.D. Chaudhry Road, Manzoor Colony, and North Karachi Water Pump Areas, and all localities of the fisherman including Daryabad, Nauabad, and adjacent areas of Mauripur.