Water supply line bursts in Liaquatabad

Area residents say authorities already knew of the fault in the line

KARACHI: The traffic flow at main Liaquatabad road was suspended on Saturday as a six-inch water supplying line in the area burst late Friday night. The road in its surrounding area caved in and the traffic was diverted to alternate routes.

The staff of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) completed the repair work on Saturday evening. However, traffic was not allowed on the road much to the inconvenience of commuters.

Traffic police said that heavy traffic was diverted towards alternate routes due to the caving in of the road. The officials filled the sinkhole with sand without indicating to travellers that the road was unsafe.

This resulted in traffic moving towards the road and leading to several vehicles getting stuck in the area. Cranes failed to pull out two trucks trapped in the sinkhole.

The area's union council chairman said that the repair work was being delayed due to the flow of water. However, he said that the pipeline was repaired and water supply to the area will be resumed soon.

The area residents complained that the authorities had already been informed of the fault in the pipeline but their complaints had fallen on deaf ears.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th, 2019.