City in grip of water crisis for 17 years

The metropolitan city has been facing the worst water crisis for 17 years during which the PPP's government in Sindh has not added a single drop of water to Karachi from the Indus River.

Crisis becomes serious when main pipelines burst, and millions of gallons of water go waste. On the other hand, the tanker mafia takes benefit of the criminal negligence of corrupt officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC). They fleece Karachiites and illegally earn billions of rupees.

As per a survey, conducted by The Express Tribune, seven major incidents of malfunctioning of KWSC installations have taken place in the four months since December 2024, resulting in the loss of huge quantity of water. Besides this, there are countless minor incidents of water line leaks.

In a recent incident that took place on April 29 when major pipeline of 84-inch diameter burst inside the University of Karachi. Millions of gallons of water were wasted in this incident, most of the university area became a lake, several faculties were submerged and valuables, including equipment, were damaged. Classes were not held on Wednesday due to flooding of most roads and faculties.

A KWSC spokesperson said that the repair work of the burst line has started on Tuesday and it will take at least three days to complete.

KWSC Peoples Labour Union General Secretary Mohsin Raza stated that the incompetence of KWSC officials leads to frequent bulk line bursts, particularly during religious and national festivals, depriving most of the city of piped water and forcing citizens to purchase expensive tanker water. He highlighted the lack of inquiry into these recurring bursts and the transparency of related expenses.

Raza pointed out that old bulk lines from major pumping stations have not been replaced despite a significant $1.6 billion restructuring fund. He urged Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to investigate these irregularities, suspecting a conspiracy to benefit the tanker mafia and defame the PPP.

He cited several recent incidents: an 84-inch line disruption in December due to Red Line BRT work, causing a 17-day water supply halt and reportedly billions in profits for tanker operators; a 72-inch pipeline burst in January due to an electrical breakdown at Dhabeji, affecting supply for two days; a four-day cutoff in February for repairs on three bulk lines; a shutdown of all pumps on March 10 due to a power breakdown at Hub Pumping Station, impacting 70 million gallons to specific districts; a one-day cutoff on April 4 due to a power breakdown at Pipri Pumping Station; and an 84-inch line burst on April 9, taking three days to repair.

Raza further noted that 40,000 to 50,000 daily tanker trips from seven KWSC-supervised hydrants sell 30 to 40 million gallons of water daily, a number that significantly increases with malfunctions in major KWSC installations.

Karachi University Teachers Society Secretary Dr Maroof Bin Rauf made an appeal to the chief minister to take strict notice of the criminal negligence of KWSC in view of the KU flood.