KARACHI, Feb 13: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has feared that its water supply network that provides 100 million gallon water daily to the city from Hub Dam source is facing a serious threat from the ‘land mafia’.

According to a press releases issued by the KWSB on Sunday, the Hub pumping station, the Hub reservoir and the Hub Trunk Main through which the city gets 100mgd water, were under a serious threat, as the land mafia, involved in grabbing the government land around these important installations, was busy in blasting the hills of the reservoir with the help of builders.

In a letter sent to the Sindh home department, the KWSB managing director, Misbahuddin Farid, stated that the land mafia also destroyed the road leading to the reservoir.

The copies of the letter had also been sent to the Sindh governor, the chief secretary, the Karachi corps commander and the Rangers’ director-general.

The letter said that the staff of the department and the trucks carrying chlorine cylinders used to go to the reservoir through the road that had been destroyed by the land mafia. In case the trucks carrying chlorine cylinders overturned or were hit by the blasts, it would cause a catastrophe.

The blasts for cutting the hills could destroy the reservoir or damage the 84-inch-diameter pipeline.

The KWSB official urged the government to take urgent security measures to save the land reserved for water supply system from illegal occupation and also save the city from a severe water crisis.

After receiving such reports about the activities of the land mafia, the KWSB chief also called the Gadap Town Police officer, Rao Anwar, and visited the area to take stock of the situation.

The Gadap TPO arrested some members of the land mafia and seized the machinery, including a bulldozer, being used for destroying the road and cutting the hills of reservoir. The KWSB has also lodged an FIR at a police station, the release added.