KARACHI, Oct 1: Various parts of the former districts West and Central continued to experience acute water shortage on Tuesday due to the reduced quantity of water currently being drawn from the drying up Hub dam reservoir.

The hard-hit areas include several sectors of the sprawling townships of Orangi, Baldia, North Karachi, Surjani, Shershah, Qasba and parts of Site.

Complaints of persisting water shortage were also received from different localities of the old city area, including Bhimpura, Ranchor Lane, Kharadar, Mithadar and parts of Lyari.

Residents of the water-starved localities said private water tankers did a roaring business, charging between Rs400 and Rs500 per tanker.

About the areas hooked to the Hub source, KWSB officials attributed the water shortage in these localities to the reduced quantity of water currently being received from Hub, saying that though the committee for Hub water supply had earlier decided to draw 45 million gallons of water from the source on a turn-by- turn basis for both Karachi and Lasbella canals, Wapda officials were releasing, on an average, only 30mgd water to the Hub canal.

The dam’s reservoir had declined to just 278RL and the supply from the source was expected to continue for a fortnight when it would be touching its dead level of 276RL.

The officials said that since water supply from Hub had been drastically reduced, the shortfall would be offset by drawing water from the Indus to the tune of 43mgd from the North-East Karachi (old) pumping station on Wednesday.