KARACHI, July 10: Private water tankers did a roaring business on Wednesday and charged between Rs 500 and 600 from residents of water-starved localities of the city.

The worst affected areas where water shortage has been persisting for the last one week include Clifton’s Block 2, Shireen Jinnah Colony and adjoining areas of Bilawal House, Federal B’ Area’s Block 6, Saddar Town’s Zehri Mohalla, Kaghzi Bazar, Taj Haveli; North Karachi’s Sector 5-C-1, Buffer Zone’s Sector 15-A/5, Orangi’s Sector 4 and ‘H’ Area, Ahsonabad No 2, Landhi’s Firdous Colony, M. A. Jinnah Road’s Sogan Mansion, Nagan Chowrangi’s Maria Apartments, Aslam Road, near Jamia Cloth Market.

A heavy movement of private water tankers was seen on busy thoroughfares of the city, including Sharae Quaideen, Shah Faisal, Fareed Bukhari Road, Jehangir Road, Tipu Sultan Road, Shaheed-i-Millat Road, M. A. Jinnah Road, S.M. Taufiq Road, etc.

The tankers were not only indulging in rash and negligent driving, but were also making roads slippery owing to their leaking nozzles.

At a time when a number of main roads and streets of the city, including Nishtar Road, Jehangir Road, Sindhi Muslim Society’s Fareed Bukhari Road and Muslimabad and Catholic Colony’s roads, have already been damaged owing to frequent movement of private tankers, the other main thoroughfares, such as Sharae Quaideen, Shaheed Millat Road, Tipu Sultan Road, Sharae Faisal and their link roads have also started developing ditches and cracks due to the tankers’ leaking nozzles.

Residents of M. A. Jinnah Road’s Sogan Mansion and Nagan Chowrangi’s Maria Apartments complained that although they had been without water for the last several days, the concerned official of the KWSB have, so far, failed to restore water supply despite a number of complaints had been lodged with them.

Similarly, residents of Buffer Zone’s Sector 15-A/5 and North Karachi’s Sector 5-C-1 said that they had been drinking sub-soil unhygienic water for the last three weeks owing to non-availability of water.

Complaints of muddy water supply have also been received from residents of Federal B’ Area’s Block 14.