KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Sunday directed Karachi Water Board (KWB) to provide water to the water-scarce areas of the city through water tankers, particularly District West where at least one million gallons additional water is required.
He issued these directives while presiding over a high-level meeting at the Committee Room of the Finance Department to devise water management plan for the areas facing water shortage.
The meeting was attended by Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Sohail Rajput, Provincial Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Karachi Additional Inspector General Mushtaq Mehar, Karachi Commissioner Aijaz Ali Khan, KWB Managing water board Khalid Sheikh and others.
Jam Khan Shoro while briefing the chief minister said that the main sources to provide water to Karachi are Kinjhar (River Indus) and Hub Dam from where water is pumped through three main bulk pumping stations located at Dhabeji, Gharo and Hub. He added that the normal the water supply from Indus is 550 MGD while it 100 MGD from Hub.
Shoro said that Karachi’s population is 17 million and maximum water demand comes to 918 MGD as per 54 gpcd. The industrial demand for water comes to 126 mgd. KWB MD said that the present water supply from Indus has come down to 450 mgd and 30 MGD from Hub. This shows that the difference of supply, 480 MGD, and demand, 918 MGD comes to 438 MGD.
The chief minister said that he has reported that there was the water shortage in Orangi Town, Baldia, SITE and partially in Nazimabad. At this, KWB MD said that these areas depend on Hub Dam which has depleted to only 30 MGD instead of 115 MGD.
Deputy Commissioner South Asif Jameel told the meeting that two RO plants are operating, one at Lyari and the other at Civil Line. He said both of these the plants have stopped working due to disconnection of their power connection.
On this, the chief minister expressed displeasure and directed KWB MD to get them operational by tomorrow. “I want you to clear their power bills and make them operational and send the report by Monday evening,” he directed.
Deputy Commissioner (DC) West Tariq Chandio said that at present, KWB through tankers provides 300 MGD water to district West which is insufficient to cater to the need of the area. The chief minister directed the water board to provide one million gallons water to District West. This water would be provided through tankers and would be distributed by the deputy commissioner.
The DC west said that there were only 257 water tanks in the West in which water tankers are downloaded for public consumption. The chief minister issued directives to establish 100 more fiber tanks so that one million gallons water could easily be downloaded here.
The chief minister also directed all the deputy commissioners of different districts of the city to file their demand of water requirement with water board so that it could make arrangements of the tankers accordingly. He also directed the deputy commissioners to set up more water tanks in their respective area, if required, and download water tankers there so that people could take water from there.
The chief minister directed Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon to look after the implementation of the plan he has given to the water board and provide them funds whatever they need.
