Water has become a precious commodity in the city as the crisis is getting worse by the day amid the tussle of K-Electric (KE) and Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB). Consequently, a large number of citizens have been deprived of their basic human right of clean potable water.
Having monopoly over electricity distribution in the city, the K-Electric has started ridiculing Supreme Court ruling of providing uninterrupted power supply to KWSB pumping stations along carrying out extra- and prolonged load-shedding in the city making the life hell to exist.
KWSB Spokesperson Nazeer Mateen said that KWSB was making all out effort to provide water to the citizens across the city including the people living in uphill areas such as Baldia Town, Orangi Town Surjani Town and North Karachi.
“Load-shedding and low-voltage electricity at pumping stations of Dhabeji has created great trouble in pumping. We are already managing half of the supply against the demand. Furthermore, uphill areas are being provided water through free tanker service as Hub Dam has also been dried up because of no or very low raining for a long time,” he said.
A press release of KWSB on Tuesday said total 285 tankers had been provided in the uphill areas in two days, where millions of people reside. Surely, other large population is becoming target of high rates demanded from water tanker drivers. One could think how much water through tankers could be provided in densely populated areas and how much difficulty people would be facing in hours and every day.
A tanker owner, Zaheer, who drives his own water tanker, said he had to bring water from far-flung area after recent water crisis; therefore, he has to charge fuel cost also. In other parts of the city, the situation is no better. Many areas do not have KWSB water lines and other many areas do not have water in the pipelines. The KWSB blames lack of funds and on the other hand there is no check on huge corruptions in government departments which is an open secret.
There is no planning in the government departments to cater the future water demand of the city. K-IV, 650 mgd water project, if came into existence anyhow would be unable to cater to need of the city as its demand would rise more until then and who knows what shape the KE-KWSB fight is going to take in future.