Korangi residents appeal for transparency in water supply

Thousands of illegal connections have been taken from the main pipeline

KARACHI:

Residents of Korangi Sector 37-A are facing a water crisis during the month of Ramazan.

The residents said that every year during the month of Ramazan, a water crisis is created, which makes it difficult to observe the holy month.

As per the residents, the lower staff of the Water Board collects money from residents of the area on the pretext of lack of funds and collects millions of rupees from the resident to clean the water supply lines.

One of the residents alleged that the water board staff says that tree roots infiltrate water supplying lines, which need to be cleaned, and for the cleaning work, the staff collected Rs500 to Rs1000 per household in the area.

A total of millions of rupees are collected for cleaning purposes, whereas the work is done by private contractors.

The residents of Korangi Sector 37-A said that the water supply was maintained for a few months, and then the crisis arose again.

During the current year, the water supply was cut off two months before Ramazan, on which the Water Board officials were contacted. The residents alleged that the water of the area was supplied to other sectors.

One of the reasons for supplying water of the area to other areas is said to be that the residents of Sector 37-A can afford to buy water from tankers, while the streets and alleys of this sector are wide enough that tankers and vehicles supplying water can move easily.

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A complaint was also lodged in the Chief Minister's House by the area residents for a permanent solution to the water crisis, on which the Chief Minister's House directed concerned officers of the Water Board to resolve the problem.

However, no lasting solution to the problem was found after the complaint.

Residents of the area are forced to buy water from tankers at high prices even during Ramazan.

Surprisingly, the tanker mafia has also kept large tankers on the ground at various places in Sector 37-A of Korangi while water is supplied to the houses on small vehicles.

Thousands of illegal connections have also been taken from the mainline supply of water to Sector 37-A, whose network of illegal connections is seen on the main road.

However, the Water Board has never taken any effective action against the illegal connections.

Residents of the area have appealed to the authorities to make the water distribution system transparent, and provide funds for the repair, and cleaning of pipelines.

They appealed to the authorities to take stern action against the elements involved in the business of selling water unlawfully and illegal water connections.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 26^th, 2022.