KARACHI, Nov 4: A vast area of the city — stretching from Bin Qasim to Jinnah Terminal — went dry for the second consecutive day, on Sunday, due to a 36-hour closure applied by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to facilitate the work of plugging leakages in the 54-inch dia Pipri Main supply line.
The localities which have not been getting water in the wake of the closure include Jinnah Terminal and all Kutchi Abadis situated in its periphery, localities that fall under the jurisdiction of Landhi Town, Landhi industrial area, Bin Qasim, National Highway and all Union Councils located on its either sides, Malir, Saudabad, Quaidabad, Muzaffarabad, Khudadad, Majeed Colony and Khokarapar.
Water supply in these localities was shut down on Saturday noon by the KWSB to undertake repairing of leakages of the Pipri Main water line. The work is scheduled to be completed by Monday afternoon, which means normal supply of water in all the affected localities is expected to be restored by Monday evening.
As there was no water in these localities since Saturday, private tankers did roaring business by charging exorbitant rates from the residents of these water-starved localities.
Residents of most of these localities complained that prolonged closure had forced them to either buy water tankers at high rates or drink sub-soil unhygienic water. “At a time when we are already experiencing acute water shortage, the KWSB’s decision to enforce extended closure has provided an excellent opportunity to the private tankers’ mafia to mint money at the cost of our sufferings,” the residents of Quaidabad remarked.
As water closure was also applied to the Jinnah Terminal, all offices situated in and around the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport were also deprived of water.
MANHOLES: Filthy water overflowing from a number of broken and choked gutters often floods a street in Hasrat Mohani Colony, posing health hazards for both the residents and passersby.
The Hasrat Mohani Colony Mohalla Committee president, Irfan Ahmed, in a press release issued on Sunday, said that filthy water coming out from some choked manholes keeps on flowing in front of a number of houses of row no 3. The worst-affected houses whose inmates have no choice but to walk through the dirty water starts from house no D/312 and ends at house no D/330.
Deploring that all the complaints lodged with the KWSB concerned officials repeatedly have, so far, fallen on deaf ears, the residents of the affected locality demanded of the City Nazim and the KWSB managing director to direct the officials to clear the choked sewerage line and repair the broken manholes without further delay. Otherwise, the filthy environment due to overflowing stagnant water could expose the residents to many diseases.