Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Sharjeel Inam Memon has said that the provincial government was taking serious measures to overcome the water crisis in Karachi, as it has expedited the campaign against illegal hydrants and unauthorised connections.
He urged the Karachi-electric to exempt Dhabeji and all the other water pumping stations from load shedding in the city to help improve water supply situation. He was addressing a news conference after presiding over a meeting of the officers of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) during his visit to the central office of the board on Tuesday.
He said the KWSB was facing financial problems due to over 40 percent shortfall in recovery of bills from consumers.
MPA Muhammad Sajid Jhokio, Secretary Local Government Javed Hanif Khan, Administrator Karachi Rauf Akhtar Farooqui, MD KWSB Qutbuddin Shaikh, DMD Najmi Alam Siddiqui, chief engineers, project directors, directors and other officers attended the meeting.
The local government minister was briefed about water distribution system, availability of machinery and generators at pumping stations, legal and illegal hydrants and the menace of unauthorised connections.
Later, talking to media, he said there was an acute scarcity of water in the metropolis, as the city was receiving only 400 million gallon water against its requirement of 1000 million gallons water. He said non-availability of water in Hub Dam had resulted in 100 million gallons water shortage.
Attributed 15 percent water scarcity to theft, he said a campaign was underway against illegal hydrants to curb this practice. Another major reason for water shortage was the power load shedding by the K-electric at Dhabeji Pumping Station, he added. He said 2 hours load shedding puts the water supply 20 hours behind its schedule and thus worsened the situation.
The minister directed the KWSB authorities to ensure that legal hydrants follow their timings, and those which run overtime should be declared illegal and sealed. He also called for the installation of water meters at hydrants to ensure adequate billing.
Sharjeel also ordered a crackdown against unauthorised mineral water companies and those which were involved in water theft. He appealed to the people to report to the KWSB and area police if they find any such companies operating in their neighbourhoods.
Answering a question about K-IV project, he said an approval in this regard would be received soon, adding that Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah had requested the federal government to convene a meeting to deliberate on this scheme at the earliest.
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