Inconvenienced: Water supply suspended from Dhabeji Pumping Station

Fire incident at K-Electric grid station causes power suspension at the water pump station

An elderly man walks on a water pipeline carrying empty containers. A severe water crisis hit the city after the main trunk line at Dhabeji pumping station was damaged due to load-shedding on Tuesday. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI:
The city received no water supply from the Dhabeji Pumping Station as the electricity supply to the pumping stations and surrounding area was suspended after a fire erupted in the K-Electric (KE) grid station on Wednesday. Dhabeji Pumping Station supplies 550 million gallons of water per day to the city.

"Water supply has been suspended since 2pm today," said Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) chief of bulk water supply Zafar Palijo, adding that one of the 10 72-inch diametre pipelines was also broken as result of the back pressure that suddenly built up right after the power outage.

Another pipeline that was damaged Sunday night has been repaired, claimed Palijo, mentioning that KWSB's repair work on the broken pipeline will be completed by today. However, water supply depends on resumption of the power supply, stated Palijo.


Meanwhile, KE chief marketing and communication officer Fakhar Ahmed claimed that the electricity supply will resume on Wednesday night.



"Efficient rescue work saved the grid station from heavy loss," he said regarding the fire, adding that KE engineers are examining the fault at the station.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18th, 2016.
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