Running dry: Karachi residents suffer as water shortage re-emerges

Lack of water in Hub Dam leaves District West without water

KARACHI: The water shortage has once more resurfaced in all the districts of Karachi leaving residents of the metropolis without water for more than a week now.

The residents of District West, including Baldia, Orangi, Manghopir, and a number of areas in other districts of Karachi, including New Karachi, North Karachi, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar and Korangi, are facing a serious water crisis since the start of Ramazan.

A resident of Baldia Town, Kamran Ghafar, told The Express Tribune that he and other residents really want to see water coming in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) supply lines. He added that they have been in contact with KWSB officials for a while but all they hear is that the Hub Dam has no water. "Isn't the water board supposed to provide water to the residents of Baldia town from alternative water sources?" he questioned.

"Shah Faisal Colony has also been facing water scarcity for a week before Ramazan," said Muhammad Sami Shahzad, a resident of district Korangi. He added that the area used to get water in their supply lines every three days but currently there is not even a single drop of water. He said they have to rely on water tankers, which cost between Rs2,500 and Rs3,000. Shahzad said a permanent solution to the water shortage is water-boring, which costs more than Rs35,000. The residents are dividing the cost to get boring done of 150-feet to get water.

Water was last supplied in our area last week, claimed Sibte Hayyan, a resident of North Karachi's sector 11. He added that no one, neither KWSB nor the government, is interested in resolving the water crisis in Karachi.



According to the chief of KWSB's water trunk main, Zafar Palijo, the constant problem of water shortage in District West is due to the unavailability of water in the Hub Dam. He added that the majority of the district is directly fed from the Hub Dam and since the dam is currently at dead low-level, the water needs of the residents living in District West cannot be met. Palijo added that the water from the other areas has been channeled to District West, which has worsened the water supply in the rest of Karachi.

"The catchment area of the dam is expected to be hit with heavy showers this June and then the dam will be filled to a desired level," he said. The required capacity of water in the dam is 339-feet above sea level, which is sufficient to supply District West for three years, Palijo added.

He explained that when the Hub Dam is completely filled, KWSB can draw its share of 100 million gallons per day (MGD) to supply it to the residents of the entire district, which is 67% of the total water of the dam. Of the water in the dam, 60 MGD is meant to be supplied to the areas in Balochistan and 2 MGD is allocated for irrigation purposes.

He added that District Central is facing a partial shortage of water and the area which is affected the most in Central is North Karachi.

According to him, the current supply of water in Karachi is 550 MGD, which is entirely through the indus river system, while the demand is 1,080 MGD.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 14^th, 2016.