The water supply situation in the provincial capital of Sindh is going to the dogs with no measures being taken by the authorities to contain the problem, reports a private TV channel.
Sources said that nexus of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and water tanker mafia has fuelled the water crisis in the city. Citizens have questioned the source of water supply to hydrants despite the prevailing crisis in the city.
Reports suggest that almost 70 percent of Karachi is without water with Malir, Korangi, OrangiTown, SITE, Metroville, North Karachi, Landhi, Shireen Jinnah Colony, BaldiaTown among the worst hit areas where even drinking water is not available.
Moreover, the continuous load shedding at pumping stations including Dhabeji is making the situation worse.
A report authored by late Parveen Rahman of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP) back in 2008 and published in a local newspaper suggested that Karachi’s water tanker mafia, which generates an estimated Rs 49.6 billion annually, siphons off over 272mgd — or 41 per cent — of the water from the city’s bulk distribution system every day and then sells the commodity at exorbitant rates to residents and industries suffering from the water scarcity that is largely caused by the activities of the water tanker mafia itself.
