KARACHI, Feb 12: The financially-starved Karachi Water and Sewerage Board may soon launch a massive water disconnection campaign against various federal government organizations and departments as both the deadlines fixed for them by the government to clear 50 per cent of their water dues have already expired, well-placed sources told Dawn.

A huge amount of over Rs5 billion -- which is almost equal to that of the KWSB’s annual budget -- is outstanding under the head of water and sewerage charges against various departments and organizations belonging to a number of federal ministries such as defence, science and technology, commerce, food, agriculture and livestock, industries and production, etc.

Deploring the fact that all its major bulk consumers belonging to the federal ministries have openly flouted the government’s directive of clearing 50 per cent of the KWSB’s dues, the water utility’s Managing Director Ghulam Arif said that although seven meetings had been convened so far by the federal government to help resolve the lingering issue, the last meeting, which was held in Islamabad in July, 2007, had decided that all the defaulting bulk consumers belonging to all the seven federal ministries would clear 50 per cent of their dues by Aug 10, 2007. But none of them have paid a single penny to the KWSB.

Later, when the KESC disconnected power connections of the KWSB offices to pressurize the utility for the recovery of its electricity charges, the KWSB launched a major water disconnection drive against all its bulk consumers. But when the federal government intervened and asked both the power and water utilities to refrain from disconnecting the connections of their consumers, the KWSB immediately restored the connections which it had disconnected.

Shortly afterwards, a meeting was convened in Islamabad in November with caretaker Finance Minister Dr Salman Shah in the chair. Representatives of all the bulk consumers belonging to different ministries participated, and it was decided that all the defaulting consumers would immediately clear their 50 per cent water dues. But the decision has, so far, remained unimplemented, the KWSB MD added.

Listing the departments and organizations against which dues are outstanding up to Nov 2007, under the heads of water, sewerage, conservancy and fire, he said that these include PIA, Pakistan Steel Mills, Export Processing Zone, Pakistan Machine Tool Factory, Security Papers Ltd, Printing Corporation of Pakistan Press, Port Qasim Authority, KPT, Karachi Shipyard, Pakistan Railways, State Bank, Pak PWD, JPMC, National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Quaid-i-Azam’s mausoleum, wireless stations, P&T colonies, SM/STR-I, Ushr and Zakat, Haji Camp, Clifton Cantonment Board, Faisal Cantonment Board, Assistant Engineer Garrison (AGE) Navy South, AGE East, AGE PNS Mehran, Karsaz, Garrison Engineer (GE, Army Services) Malir, Malir Cantonment Board (Executive Officer), Korangi Cantonment Board (Executive Officer), GE (N) Maintenance Karsaz, GE (N) Hub River Road, AGE Maintenance (Navy) Manora, GE (Maintenance) Gizri, AGE Manora, GE (Air) Malir, GE (Air) Malir Cantonment, GE (Air) Faisal, GE (Air) Korangi, GE Air (Masroor), Chief Engineer Works (Civil Aviation), PCSIR Laboratory, National Insurance Corporation Ltd, Korangi Fish Harbour Project, Korangi Fish Harbour and the office in-charge, livestock and fisheries.