PHOTO: FILE
An official of Pak Oasis - the company that runs the RO plants -- told The Express Tribune that the power supply was cut off due to nonpayment of arrears. "All the RO plants located in various areas of Lyari and Keamari have stopped supplying water to residents," he added.
The official, who asked not to be named, said that the staff working at the RO plants has not been paid their salaries for the last six months. He added that the contract between the provincial government and the company ended in June. "The agreement was not extended," he said, adding that the RO plants have now been handed over to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).
Meanwhile, an employee at the RO plant said that the water purifying plants were not functioning at their optimum. "These buildings are being used as water storage points," he said. "Not a single official from the government has ever asked us if the water supplied to the residents is purified," he added. The staffer, who also requested anonymity, said that at some plants, the employees were even selling equipment because they were not paid salaries.
A recurring issue
The RO plants in Lyari are located at Main Mauripur Road near the grid station, Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road, Mira Nakka, Chakiwara, Juman Shah Plot and Peoples Stadium.
Ishaq Hingoro, a resident of Hingorabad, said that the power was disconnected in the first week of September. "The plant near the grid station actually doesn't purify water," he claimed.
According to Hingoro, water was being supplied to the area only twice a month. "We adjusted ourselves," he said. "People store water in underground tanks, cans and bottles." He said that Lyari's neighbourhoods were already facing an acute shortage of water and with the disconnection of power supply to RO plants, the situation will become even more critical if the issue is not resolved immediately.
According to a member of the Sindh Assembly from Lyari, Shazia Karim Sanghar, she has discussed the matter with senior government officials. "It's really a critical situation. I am in touch with the government officials and hopeful it will be resolved soon," she claimed.
Photo sessions
Recently, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, on the directives of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also visited parts of Lyari to see for himself the issues faced by residents. During the visit, he assured local party leaders and residents that his government was focused on addressing basic issues of Lyari, including water shortage.
Shah was accompanied and briefed by PPP's Karachi division general secretary and former MPA from Lyari, Javed Nagori, and other local leaders. "We haven't received a drop of water since the minister's visit," said Saleh Mohammad, a resident of Ahmed Shah Bukhari Road. "The people of Lyari hardly believe that the politicians keep their words," he exclaimed. "It's better not to visit Lyari for photo sessions."
Sanghar said that she had tried her best to discuss the issue with the managing director of KWSB, Asadullah Khan. "He did not bother to respond to our calls," she alleged.
To verify Sanghar's claims, The Express Tribune repeatedly attempted to call Khan and Shah [the LG minister] but they did not respond.
"The people of Lyari tried to change the politicians through votes but failed to receive anything in return," said Ahmed Ali, a resident of Moosa Lane. "Neither the PPP nor Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seem interested in resolving the basic issues of Lyari," lamented Ali.
PTI to protest
For his part, the PTI's member of National Assembly from Lyari, Shakoor Shad, who defeated Bilawal in the general elections, said that PPP's provincial government was more worried about its leaders than serving the people of Sindh. "I have asked the people of Lyari to start a protest movement and all PTI supporters will join them from different parts of the city," he said.
Shad said that the Sindh government's agreement with the water purifying company has already ended. "These plants are now directly being handled by the provincial government. It is the PPP government that should ensure water supply to the people of Lyari," he demanded.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 19th, 2019.
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