One in ten units paying water bill

Collection from country’s largest industrial area at dismal level.

KARACHI: Only 400 factories out of around 4,000 in Karachi’s biggest industrial area are paying utility bills to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on a regular basis, a top water board official said.

Addressing industrialists at the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI) on Tuesday, KWSB Managing Director Misbahuddin Fareed said that “only Rs2.9 million is collected monthly from the entire area of Korangi, which is supposed to be the country’s biggest industrial area with heavy consumption of water and sewerage services.”

Fareed said that tariffs charged by the utility provider are unrealistically low and that the viability of the entity has become questionable as a result of low revenue generation. He also said that due to rampant lawlessness in the city, it has become very difficult to take action against illegal water hydrants and connections, adding that in areas such as Bilal Colony, not a single illegal connection can be removed because each establishment has the flag of a political party hoisted outside and receives protection from these parties.

The managing director added that police refuse to cooperate with KWSB staff in removing illegal connections and accused the government of not being serious about introducing reforms that could help the board.

“Total monthly income of KWSB is about Rs320 million, while the monthly electricity bill alone is more than Rs350 million,” he said. He acknowledged that the water board has achieved little in recent times but countered that “we do not have the resources required even for routine maintenance work, let alone capacity enhancement.”

He explained that pumping stations require regular downtime and repairs, but due to the heavy load on these installations, none of the facilities are being serviced on a regular basis. “As a result, the efficiency and total capacity of this infrastructure is constantly falling,” added Fareed.

KATI Chairman Jauhar Ali Qandhari asserted that water is only being supplied to the industrial area on alternate days, while the worst affected areas are completely cut off from water supply.

“Despite the fact that water is not pumped for many days every month, bills are sent on inflated rates regularly,” complained Qandhari. He accused certain black sheep of the water board of diverting supplies away from industries and asked senior management to take stock of the situation.

However, the KWSB head honcho refuted this claim, saying, “500 factories that are not receiving water supplies are sent zero-meter bills.”

Ahmed urged KWSB to establish a new pumping station at Chamra Chowk to improve the supply of water to the industrial area. He also called for an operation against illegal water hydrants and connections so that paying customers are not deprived because of illegitimate connections.

“Surging inter-corporate debt among public sector enterprises is threatening the economic growth of the nation,” warned business community leader S M Munir. “Politicians must realise that this is not the time for confrontation, but the time for immediate reforms,” he added.

Published in  The Express Tribune, February 23^rd,  2011.