Karachi’s creaking infrastructure

KWSB will now be running short by 70 million gallons of water a day because of leakage and unanticipated loss of water

The bursting of an 84-inch water pipeline on University Road near Federal Urdu University in Karachi, which left the main road flooded as cars submerged under several feet of water in parking areas, seems almost like a surreal scene from a movie. The fact that it happened in one of our major cities is troubling. The pipeline in question is 40-years-old and the massive leak took place as Karachi Water and Sewerage Board personnel were working on it. Matters were made worse when a passing vehicle belonging to the KMC damaged a valve and unleashed further water onto the roads.

Quite aside from the unexpected waves rippling down a major road, the problem that the residents of Karachi now face is an acute shortage of water. KWSB authorities say they will now be running short by 70 million gallons of water a day because of the leakage and the unanticipated loss of water. This means that the residents of many localities such as the DHA, Clifton, Lyari, Kemari and other areas in the city can expect a shortfall of water in their homes. For a city whose residents are already compelled to buy water, sometimes at exorbitant rates, from tankers because there is simply not enough to meet their needs, this is bad news indeed. The incident also reveals the crumbling state of our infrastructure. It is quite evident that it is falling apart. If something like this can happen in Karachi, one can only imagine the state of affairs in smaller towns where there is even less attention paid to amenities provided to citizens. The KWSB needs to come up with better answers and tell us what it is doing to ensure such a situation does not recur in the future. As things stand now, there is every likelihood that similar incidents will occur again since other water pipelines in the city are likely to be in no better condition. The authorities need to find a way to repair and ensure maintenance of the basic facilities required in cities and prevent the kind of hazards that Karachiites found themselves embroiled in on December 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 15^th, 2015.

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