KARACHI, April 9: Elected representative of Lyari Town have been facing public pressure as water shortage problem persists in many parts of Lyari Town.

Residents say the problem has aggravated with the advent of summer.

In Rexer Lane area water-related disturbances erupted on Tuesday afternoon and people came out on streets and held a protest rally in front of Lyari Town office.

The residents accused the elected representatives of local bodies of showing “indifference” towards their day-to-day problems, while the members blamed the KWSB officials for creating an “artificial crisis” to tarnish their image.

Shah Beg Lane Union Council is yet another area where water shortage persists for the last several years. Similar is the situation in Ali Mohammad Mohallah and some parts of Juna Masjid.

The frustrated residents warned that water riots may erupt again if suitable measures are not taken to resolve the problem.

Complaints of water shortage have also been received from Daryabad Union Council area where people have long been accusing the KWSB officials of negligence.

Area people said the valvemen were behind the sale of water to commercial concerns at the cost of domestic consumers.

Diversion of supplies amounting to more than three mgd from the main source is among one of the factors causing water shortage problem in the area, say some residents.

While the KWSB officials claim that the total supply to the town was 13 mgd, the residents say it is not more than 8mgd because of water thefts.

The mounting pressure by the residents last year had forced the City Nazim and the KWSB officials to visit the affected areas of the town, but every time temporary measures were taken to ease the public pressure.

The KWSB officials have denied that there was a serious water shortage in the town, saying “an artificial water crisis” had always been created to achieve “political ends” by certain influential political elements.