KARACHI, Aug 8: Perturbed over the persisting water shortage, residents of different sectors of North Karachi Township, staged a sit-in on Wednesday in front of the Township’s KWSB office.
The protesters, including women and children, who had assembled in a large number in front of the KWSB office to voice their anger over the acute water shortage, raised slogans against the KWSB officials for not taking interest in ensuring smooth and uninterrupted supply to their localities. However, when they came to know that no concerned official of the KWSB was present in the office they dispersed peacefully.
Later, North Karachi’s Town Administration’s Nazim, Shafiq Usmani, held a detailed discussion with the KWSB’s chief engineer, urging him to take some prompt measures for improving the water supply position of the Township. The chief engineer assured the Nazim that all-out efforts were being made to streamline the water supply position not only of North Karachi’s affected sectors but also of Surjani Town’s water-deficit pockets.
SHORTFALL: Water supply to various parts of the city would be badly affected on Friday owing to a short supply from the North- East Karachi pumping station.
According to the KWSB sources, the shortfall of water to the tune of 40 mgd was caused due to a lingering power breakdown that occurred at the North-East Karachi pumping station on Thursday at 2.40 pm.
Asked about the impact of short supply of water to the city, the KWSB sources said that water supply to most parts of Orangi, Baldia, SITE and North Karachi would be affected on Friday in the wake of the short supply of water from the NEK pumping station as well as due to the short supply of water from the Hub dam reservoir during the last three days.
The KWSB sources regretted that although Wapda, as per the decision of the committee for the Hub water supply, was supposed to provide 45 mgd of water to the city for three days continuously, the KWSB received only 32 mgd of water from the Hub source. Therefore, KWSB officials were facing difficulties in ensuring equitable distribution of water in to sprawling townships of Orangi, Baldia and North Karachi which are hooked to the Hub source.
Taking advantage of the persisting water shortage in the city, private water tankers on Thursday did a roaring business, charging between Rs400 and 500 per tanker.