No relief in sight for parched city

Residents in affected areas urged to conserve water during a three-day disruption

KARACHI:

Water supply will be disrupted for three days starting Monday, as repair work is scheduled on a seven-foot diameter water line on University Road.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) spokesperson confirmed that the repair work on the key pipeline will take up to 72 hours, Express News reported.

The corporation is aiming to restore water supply by Wednesday evening.vThe city receives 650 million gallons of water daily, but the repair work will cause a shortfall of 150 million gallons, with 500 million gallons continuing as usual.

The repair will affect several areas, including Lyari, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jamshed Town, and Old City. However, the parallel pipelines will continue to supply water, ensuring minimal disruption.

KWSC CEO visited University Road to inspect the line, ensuring the work proceeds efficiently. The officials have been instructed to expedite repairs, with work continuing round the clock to meet the deadline. Residents are urged to store water in advance and use it wisely during the disruption to avoid any inconvenience.

Talking to The Express Tribune in an exclusive conversation, he said that the Red Line construction has significantly affected KWSC's main pipelines.

He said that despite providing comprehensive maps and information to Trans Karachi, the pipelines have been repeatedly damaged at several points during construction; he said and added that the main pipeline was damaged during piling work for the BRT project.

Salahuddin has demanded Trans Karachi to cover the repair costs and associated damages. He went on to say that the repair work is being carried out permanently rather than temporarily to ensure that future operations of the BRT system do not face the similar issues.

The MD also noted that when the new leak was discovered, water pressure was reduced, which leads to reduced supply to various areas and neighborhoods of the city. He assured that the repair work would be completed by Wednesday night, with water supply scheduled to be resumed from Thursday afternoon. He urged the citizens to use water cautiously during this period.

Few days ago, The Express Tribune had reported that water crisis has returned to haunt residents in most neighbourhoods of the metropolitan city as the 84-inch water pipeline, which was damaged during development works and repaired only eight days ago, has started leaking again.

KWSC started fresh efforts to ensure water supply to the city of nearly three million people. A KWSC meeting has been called on Thursday which will decide on whether the repair work will involve shutting off the water temporarily or maintaining supply.

The initial problem began on Dec 3, when the pipeline ruptured at two locations due to the ongoing Red Line construction, causing a major disruption to water supply.