KARACHI, Feb 27: Water supply to the city and Balochistan from the Hub dam is expected to be restored sometime in March, after the reservoir’s level jumped from 276 RL (Reservoir Level) to 281.1 RL in the wake of recent rains.

However, a final decision with regard to quantity of water to be drawn for the city and Balochistan from the Hub source will be taken at a high-level meeting to be held on March 3.

The meeting, to be held with Sindh’s planning and development department’s additional chief secretary in the chair, will be attended by senior officials of Balochistan, Wapda and the city government’s water and sanitation department.

Water supply to the city from Hub dam source was last stopped in October, 2002, when water level in the dam’s reservoir had touched its dead storage level of 276 RL.

Shortly after suspension of the supply from the Hub source the city government’s water and sanitation department had introduced water-holiday system for localities getting their supply from the Indus source to overcome water crisis of areas hooked to the Hub source.

Under the water-holiday system, the W&S department had been suspending the supply of some localities once in a week for diverting the same to the sprawling townships of Orangi, Baldia, Surjani, North Karachi, Shershah and parts of the SITE industrial area to offset their water shortage.

It is since stoppage of water supply from the Hub source that the localities of former district West have been experiencing acute water shortage as they are supplied water after every five days.