Karachi likely to face water crisis during Eid holidays

Sources associated with KWSB say satisfactory arrangements couldn't be made for the provision of water

KARACHI: Karachi is likely to face yet another water crisis during the Eid holidays. Already, the water supply in various areas of the city has become severely affected and many people have taken to the streets to protest against it.

The most affected areas in Karachi include Gulistan-e-Johar, Korangi, Malir, Surjani Town, Nazimabad, Baldia Town, Orangi Town, Bufferzone and North Karachi.

The residents of Murad Baloch Goth, including women and children, staged a protest outside the office of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) near Garden Chowk on Tuesday for the restoration of the water supply.

They said that for about a month, the supply of water in their area remained suspended. Despite having complained several times, no efforts have been made yet in this regard.

They said that during Ramazan, they had not received a single drop of water. The protesters said that they were spending millions of rupees to buy water tankers. Now with the water supply expected to remain suspended over the course of Eid, they asked if they should buy clothes for their children for Eid or continue buying water tankers.

They said that they filed their complaint at the KWSB office again on Tuesday but the staff closed the gates and fled.

The protesting women tried to break open the locks with the help of stones and shouted slogans against the water board staff. They demanded that water supply be ensured on Eidul Fitr.

The road leading towards the Garden Chowk was closed for traffic due to the protest.

Garden Police assured them that they would negotiate with the KWSB staff and water supply would soon be restored. The protestors dispersed peacefully after that.

A precarious situation

Currently, senior officials of the KWSB are not present in the city, with the managing director  performing Umrah while several other senior officials away on Eid holidays.

KWSB authorities have only made fake promises regarding the supply of water during Eid. Sources associated with the KWSB said that satisfactory arrangements couldn't be made for the provision of water and therefore the city will face water shortage during Eid. The hydrants have also failed to provide water.

According to sources, KWSB staff including valve men, are creating an artificial water crisis.

The six hydrants in the city aren't working efficiently to provide water. The performance of Sakhi Hassan hydrant is extremely disappointing since it has not been able to provide the water tankers requested by citizens even after seven to 10 days.

Sources said that Sakhi Hassan Hydrant In-charge Asif Qadri was selling water commercially instead of providing it to the public, which was the reason the hydrant was allegedly operating under the mafia.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 5^th, 2019.