Water shortage: Work to lift water from Hub Dam started

Additional supply of 25MGD to substantially improve water woes of District West

KARACHI: The work to lift 25 million gallons per day (MGD) to lessen the water woes of District West from the dead level of Hub Dam has been initiated.

According to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) chief of bulk water supply Zafar Palijo, the additional supply of 25MGD for the next 45 days will substantially improve the water scarcity in the worst-hit part of the metropolis. The department is hoping the expected monsoon in the catchment area of the dam will overcome the shortage in the future.

"Currently the team has been facing technical issues that will be resolved within two to three days," KWSB deputy chief engineer Azam Khan, who has been assigned the special assignment to lift the water from the dam, told The Express Tribune. He added that the water board is not getting permission from the Water and Power Development Authority to make a sump (a depression in which water is collected) inside the dam in order to lift the water through pumping machines.



"We are committed to figuring out an alternative to take out the required amount of water from the dam," said Khan. He added that the water that is being lifted from the dam through motor pumps and will be dropped into canals and pumped accordingly.

Palijo said that once the project to lift the water from the dead level matures within a few days, it will provide 25MGD of water compared to 100MGD when the dam is filled to its required level. However, he said that the water supplied from the dam will not meet the entire water demand of the residents of Baldia, Orangi and Manghopir but will ease some of the water needs.

Explaining the existing water source of District West, Palijo said that for other parts of Karachi 80MGD is being channeled from the River Indus out of which District West is supplied for 120 hours and North Karachi for 48 hours in a week.

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah gave permission to KWSB a week ago to draw water from the dead level of the dam so that the water needs of District West can be met.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2016.