KARACHI, Dec 30: The KWSB has claimed that it had removed 1,100 illegal water connections during its drive for dis-connections. Giving details of the campaign , KWSB's chief engineer, Asudomal, told Dawn that of the total 1,100 illegal connections removed, so far, around 80 illegal connections were taken by 37 hydrants, 200 by industries and over 800 by commercial ventures.

The campaign was launched on Nov 25 under the directives of President Pervez Musharraf and it will continue as long as all illegal connections of hydrants, industries and commercial organisations are disconnected, he added.

Asked how the KWSB would be saving water in the wake of its on-going campaign when those having illegal connections are were being asked to get their connections regularized after paying certain amount to the water utility, he said as a matter of fact, the KWSB had saved a maximum quantity of water by disconnecting illegal water connections to 37 hydrants, and their illegal connections are neither being restored nor regularized.

"The KWSB has, in fact, asked the commercial organizations and industries to get their illegal connections regularized and not the hydrants," he clarified. He said that although the KWSB had disconnected around 80 illegal connections of 37 hydrants, two of them - Mashalla and Afghani hydrants - which are situated in Manghopir and SITE Towns and each of them had taken three to four illegal connections from a 66-inch dia main pipeline.