KARACHI, July 7: The Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) is bent upon to fail the city government by blocking the sewerage lines of defaulters, causing stinking water to gush out and create health hazards. This is happening in many localities, it is learnt.

Well-placed sources said the KWSB had worked out a strategy to block the sewerage lines of defaulters as a result of which filthy water gushed out of manholes and accumulated in surrounding areas producing an unbearable stench in the neighbourhoods and health hazards to those residing there.

The accumulation of gutter water was also causing severe damage to roads. In many areas gutter water stood on main roads, streets and side lanes for several days together. In many cases for more than a fortnight, the sources said. If the KWSB continued to follow this strategy, a number of roads would be permanently under stinking gutter water, the sources said, adding that in future road repairs would eat up the major part of the budget.

The sources claimed that this strategy of the KWSB was aimed at bringing a bad name to the city government and ultimately its failure, despite the fact that President Pervez Musharraf was keen to make the new system of local government a success.

The KWSB has blocked sewerage lines at a number of places in the city. Recently it blocked the sewerage line of a building in front of Karachi Press Club forcing residents to clear the outstanding dues.

The blockage of sewerage line resulted in accumulation of stinking water on Sarwar Shaheed Road and adjoining streets causing serious problems to motorists, pedestrians and those visiting other buildings in the vicinity. The accumulation of filthy water also posed serious health hazards to those living in the area.

At Mariam Centre, a residential complex in Block-H, North Nazimabad, the KWSB has blocked the sewerage line. The sources said Mariam Centre Phase-II consisted of 14 apartments, and only one of them was defaulter.

The KWSB claimed that flat No B-1 at Mariam Centre had been converted into a commercial tariff as there was a school there. However, the owner of the flat contested the KWSB’s claim saying that the KDA had given his flat a residential status and there was no school there registered with any of the education boards.

The rest of the flatowners had cleared their dues except one, whose owner was abroad. The KWSB, however, blocked the sewerage line of the entire building and punished not only the residents of Mariam Centre but also those living in the surrounding area. Filthy water coming out of the choked up sewerage line has been standing in the streets creating unhygienic conditions in the entire neighbourhood.

Those residing in the locality said they had lodged numerous complaints about the overflowing gutter with the KWSB, but the KWSB had remained unmoved as it appeared to be obstinately adhering to its policy of recovering dues by adopting the tactic of intentionally blocking gutter lines.

“We have no any other choice except to block sewerage lines to realize outstanding dues from the defaulters,” the Deputy Managing Director of the KWSB, Akhlaque Husain Shah, told Dawn.

Akhlaque, who is also a resident of Mariam Centre, said: “I do not bear any personal grudge against the defaulter. He should come to us, clear the dues or produce a certificate that he is running a charitable organization, and we will clear the sewerage line.”

In reply to a question, he said: “We can disconnect the water supply, but we will not do this.” He claimed that the KWSB’s strategy of blockage of sewerage lines had proved effective. But this method could not be applied to realize water dues, as disconnection of water supply would be no use since many areas were not being supplied water and people but water from private tankers.

Residents of the affected areas oppose the KWSB’s strategy of blockage of sewerage lines and say first it should plug leakages.

Leakages were already there and now the KWSB has resorted to intentional blockage of gutter lines making the unhygienic conditions worse.

People demanded of the city government to look into the matter as the KWSB was a part of the city government and do the needful.