KARACHI: Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon while addressing the issue of water shortages raised by the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly said that the system is providing water to its maximum capacity.

Amidst cries of "Give us water!" from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement lawmakers, Memon said punctures in the main water pipeline by citizens have decreased water pressure and hindered supply.

“We appealed to people not to puncture them because it affects water pressure,” he said, adding that when the power goes out at a pumping station, “it can take up to 17, even 36 hours to bring the pressure back to the desired level.”

He said that tankers have been sent to those areas where water is not available, and that during Ramazan a free tanker service is being provided to western parts of Karachi where water is supplied under the care of deputy commissioners.

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"Whatever water is available in the system is being supplied 100 per cent," he said. "Wherever there are issues, they are being addressed."

Memon admitted that maintaining cleanliness in hospitals has proven difficult as they have had to deal with thousands of heatstroke patients during a days-long heatwave in Sindh.

“Whether they are KMC (Karachi Municipal Corporation) hospitals or Sindh government hospitals, when hospitals are inundated with thousands of patients and attendants, they don’t have the capacity to handle eight to 10,000 people at a time who use sanitation facilities and eat,” he said, adding “We will raise the issue of cleanliness in government and KMC-run hospitals.”

Pressure on the Sindh government has built in the last week as the province has experienced an unprecedented heatwave. Complaints of power outages and water scarcity abound as the mercury soars, with over a 1,000 dead due to extreme weather.

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