KARACHI, July 24: A vast area of the sprawling townships of Orangi, Baldia and Surjani is without water or has been receiving scanty supply for the last one week mainly because of inadequate water supply from the Hub Dam source.
The KWSB officials maintained that currently Wapda is releasing between 20 and 22 million gallons of water as against the agreed 35mgd, and that’s why the KWSB has off and on failed to ensure smooth and regular supply of water to different sectors of the townships in general and to their tail-end areas, in particular.
“As far as Surjani Town is concerned, its supply from the Hub source has been totally shut off and efforts are being made to supply water to the township from the Indus source via the Ajmair Nagri pumping stations,” the KWSB officials said.
Residents of the areas complained that since their localities were supplied water after every 72 hours, they often remained without water for weeks whenever the KWSB failed to implement their water supplying schedule either owing to reduced quantity of water from the Hub source or in the wake of power breakdowns.
Acute water shortage also hit Shershah, Kharadar, Mehmoodabad No 1, and Clifton’s Block 2.
People residing near the Kharadar police kiosk complained that a number of apartment buildings, housing hundreds of flats, were without water for the last fortnight. They said the KWSB officials have not yet bothered to restore the supply in spite of the fact that the issue had been in their knowledge from the beginning.
MUDDY WATER: Complaints of abdominal pain and other stomach diseases poured into newspaper offices in the wake of contaminated and muddy water being supplied to various parts of the city for the last three weeks or so.
Residents of different localities, including almost all blocks of Federal B. Area, PECHS Block 2 and 6, Khudadad Colony, Lines Area and parts of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, complained that since their localities were continuously being supplied muddy water, children and elderly people of their families often complained of severe abdominal pain.
OVERFLOW: Filthy water gushing out from various choked gutters in Sindhi Muslim Cooperating Housing Society often remains stagnant on the adjacent busy Fareed Bukhari Road, near the SMCHS’ roundabout.
Traffic proceeding towards Tariq Road via Sharea Faisal usually slows down on the Fareed Bukhari Road due to presence of the dirty water. Motorcyclists are the worst sufferers as the filthy water often splashed on them whenever some drivers indulge in rush and negligent driving.
People residing in the vicinity of the SMCHS roundabout complained that although the gutters of the locality were choked for the last one week, the concerned officials have not yet taken measures to clear them.