One month on, Scheme 33 residents still have no water
Residents accuse officials of halting water supply, despite laying down new water line
Ever since construction of the road leading towards Kiran Hospital began, water supply to the society has been halted, leaving the people in misery. PHOTO: ATHAR KHAN
KARACHI:
The residents of Scheme 33 are facing a tough time even in Ramazan, as the housing societies in the area have been deprived of water for the last month because of ongoing road construction.
Ever since the construction of the road leading towards Kiran Hospital began, water supply to the society has been halted, leaving the people in misery. "We do not even have water to make wuzu," said Kashif, a resident of Zehra Nagar Society of Scheme 33.
Initially, he said, they were told by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) authorities that they were laying new a water line, which is why the water supply was apparently halted. "However, the water line has been laid now and we are still deprived of water," he complained.
'41% of Karachi has no water pipelines'
Kashif claimed that the valve man of the area is asking for Rs500 to reconnect their valves to the new waterline. "There are 106 houses alone in Block A of Zehra Nagar Society," he said, adding that the other blocks have many more houses.
Even the alMuslim and Rizwan societies in the same scheme are deprived of water. Athar, a resident of alMuslim Society told The Express Tribune that it has been more than a month since they have not received water at their houses. Taking advantage of the situation, the tanker mafia is minting money, he added. "Initially, the society used to get water tankers costing Rs1,200 but now they charge Rs2,200 per house," he said.
"The KWSB should at least think about the fact that it is Ramazan," he said, adding that it has been weeks since the new water line has been laid but they have not been provided water connections deliberately, so that the utility provider can take bribes.
On contact, the KWSB spokesperson said that if a new connection is internal, then the society will have to pay some money. Meanwhile superintendent engineer of the KWSB, Ghulam Qadir Abbas, said the valve man is not taking bribes. He claimed that each resident has to pay a certain sum for the connection of service lines, which is a universal law.
The residents of Scheme 33 are facing a tough time even in Ramazan, as the housing societies in the area have been deprived of water for the last month because of ongoing road construction.
Ever since the construction of the road leading towards Kiran Hospital began, water supply to the society has been halted, leaving the people in misery. "We do not even have water to make wuzu," said Kashif, a resident of Zehra Nagar Society of Scheme 33.
Initially, he said, they were told by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) authorities that they were laying new a water line, which is why the water supply was apparently halted. "However, the water line has been laid now and we are still deprived of water," he complained.
'41% of Karachi has no water pipelines'
Kashif claimed that the valve man of the area is asking for Rs500 to reconnect their valves to the new waterline. "There are 106 houses alone in Block A of Zehra Nagar Society," he said, adding that the other blocks have many more houses.
Even the alMuslim and Rizwan societies in the same scheme are deprived of water. Athar, a resident of alMuslim Society told The Express Tribune that it has been more than a month since they have not received water at their houses. Taking advantage of the situation, the tanker mafia is minting money, he added. "Initially, the society used to get water tankers costing Rs1,200 but now they charge Rs2,200 per house," he said.
"The KWSB should at least think about the fact that it is Ramazan," he said, adding that it has been weeks since the new water line has been laid but they have not been provided water connections deliberately, so that the utility provider can take bribes.
On contact, the KWSB spokesperson said that if a new connection is internal, then the society will have to pay some money. Meanwhile superintendent engineer of the KWSB, Ghulam Qadir Abbas, said the valve man is not taking bribes. He claimed that each resident has to pay a certain sum for the connection of service lines, which is a universal law.