Thirsting for relief

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Karachi's residents once again find themselves at the mercy of the tanker mafia as reckless development work has disrupted key water supply lines across the city, leading to protests. Officials now warn that the crisis will persist a few more days. Time and again, ill-planned infrastructure projects damage critical pipelines, leaving entire neighbourhoods parched.

Promises of infrastructure development ring hollow when basic necessities like water are repeatedly sacrificed. Karachi's outdated and fragile water supply network is already struggling to meet demand, and each new infrastructure project further exacerbates the problem. Time and again, careless excavation damages key pipelines, plunging neighbourhoods into crisis, while authorities fail to implement preventive measures. The ultimate beneficiaries of this dysfunction are the tanker operators, who thrive on Karachi's chronic water shortages. The more the system crumbles, the stronger their grip on the city becomes. With no or irregular piped water supply, residents have no choice but to pay exorbitant prices for tankers, lining the pockets of private suppliers who operate with little oversight.

What is needed is a systematic overhaul of the city's water infrastructure. Authorities must ensure that development projects do not come at the cost of essential services. Coordination between agencies responsible for roadworks and water supply must improve, and penalties must be imposed on those whose negligence leads to public suffering. The parallel water economy, allowed to flourish under the authorities' watch, must also be dismantled. A comprehensive crackdown on illegal hydrants, stricter regulations on private suppliers and measures to ensure fair pricing are needed to break this vicious cycle. Karachiites deserve better than to be held hostage by tanker mafias every time a new road is built. If this cycle continues, the city's future will remain as parched as its present.