KARACHI, Sept 8: The number of trips made by water tankers supplying water from Rangers-manned hydrants has swelled to 15,000 per day. When the Rangers took over supply of water through tankers from seven KWSB hydrants in 1999, they started with 1,870 trips per day to water-starved localities of Orangi, Baldia, SITE and North Karachi under a water crisis management programme.

This responsibility was assigned to the Rangers in 1999 by then Sindh governor when Hub Dam had gone dry and a water crisis had created a law and order situation in localities hooked to the Hub source.

However, when water supply from the Hub source was restored in 2002, and as a result of which tankers trips should have been curtailed, the number of tankers supplying water from Rangers-manned hydrants, both on gratis and commercial bases, from 10 hydrants still ranged between 14,000 and 14,500 in 2003-04.

Meanwhile, the number of trips made by tankers, currently supplying water, has soared to 15,000 per day. Out of these, the number of tanker-trips made to supply water on gratis basic is 4,000, which means that over 11,000 trips are made to sell water on commercial basis.

Giving details of the 1,870 trips made daily by tankers in 2000 from the KWSB’s seven hydrants, sources said the number of trips made from the Muslimabad hydrant ranged between 385 and 400; LSR hydrant, from 200 to 250 trips; Sakhi Hassan, from 90 to 150 trips; Federal B’ Area, from 25 to 50 trips; Juma Goth, from 40 t0 60 trips; Shah Faisal, from 30 to 50 trips; and Jamia Millia, Malir, from 40 to 80 trips.

While the number of trips made daily in 2003-04 from the KWSB’s 10 hydrants stood between 14,000 and 14,500. These included 1,600 trips from the Muslimabad hydrant; 3,000 trips from Sydnum hydrant; 3,000 from the LSR hydrant; 2,800 trips from Sakhi Hassan hydrant; 350 trips from Federal B’ Area hydrant; 1,572 trips from North-East Karachi hydrant; 160 trips from Shah Faisal hydrant; 650 trips from Jamia Millia, Malir hydrant; 550 trips from Juma Goth hydrant; and 68 trips from the Landhi Cattle Colony hydrant.

Currently, a total of 15,000 daily trips were being made from the KWSB’s hydrants. These include 2,000 trips daily from Muslimabad hydrant; 4,000 trips from Sydnum hydrant; 3200 trips from Sakhi Hassan hydrant; 600 trips from Federal B’ Area hydrant; 3,100 from NEK hydrant; 260 trips from Shah Faisal hydrant; 1,000 trips from Jamia Millia hydrant; 650 trips from Juma Goth hydrant; and 68 trips from Landhi Cattle Colony hydrant.

The LSR hydrant, situated behind Civic Centre, was closed on July 1. As a result, water supply and water pressure to various localities of four towns - Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Jamshed, Saddar and Lyari - improved.

Asked if the KWSB was being paid any amount by the Rangers from the large number of tankers supplying water from its hydrants on commercial basis, sources in the KWSB replied in the negative.

They said that even the electricity charges of all hydrants, which were under the control of the Rangers, was being paid by the water utility organisation.

Frequent movement of thousands of tankers drawing water from the Rangers-manned hydrants and from private hydrants are not only causing damage to major thoroughfares of the city, but a number of fatal accidents involving tankers have also occurred.