Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) higher-ups are receiving threatening calls from outside Pakistan warning them against demolition of illegal water hydrants in the city, Pakistan Today has learnt.
The officials, who received threatening calls, have claimed that anonymous callers warned them of dire consequences if they destroy water hydrants which, according to unnamed callers, are a source of income for them.
KWSB, on the directives of the Supreme Court (SC), has destroyed hundreds of subsoil and sweet water hydrants to overcome shortage of water in the metropolis amid shortfall of 650 mgd.
As per details, KWSB Managing Director (MD) Misbah-ud Din Fareed and Hydrant Officer (HO) Tabish Raza are receiving threatening calls from outside the country for demolishing the water hydrants.
“KWSB MD and I received threats via phone calls from outside the country,” KWSB HO Tabish Raza confirmed. “The call came from a private number,” Raza said.
“Some of the calls came from Afghanistan-based landline numbers,” Raza claimed, adding that they were receiving more and more phone calls with every passing day.
“The KWSB officials have had to stop taking calls from anonymous numbers,” Raza added.
He said the calls started with the demolition of Fatafat Water Hydrant, an illegal water hydrant on Karachi’s Northern Bypass.
“The hydrant operator had taken a stay order from the court claiming he had received license from KWSB to run the water hydrant, but he failed to prove in court that he was issued the license,” HO said, adding, “Within an hour, the court declared the papers produced as fake and we demolished his hydrant.”
“Our lawyer produced a list of licensed water hydrants and KWSB records in the court and maintained that the complainant neither applied for a license, nor was he issued one,” Raza said.
He said the KWSB will continue to take action against operators of illegal water hydrants as it is nearly impossible to cater to the needs of residents amid water theft.