Gharo glitch adds fuel to city's water crisis

Power disruption threatens 14MGD supply as month-long shortage persists; residents rely on costly tankers

GHARO:

Just when Karachi's prolonged water crisis showed no sign of easing, a power cable fault at the Gharo Pumping Station has dealt another blow to the city's fragile supply network, threatening to deprive several localities of around 14 million gallons of water and piling further pressure on residents already enduring weeks of shortages.

According to a spokesperson for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), the electrical fault at the Gharo Pumping Station suspended power supply to the Gharo New Pump House, Gharo Old Pump House and the filtration plant, temporarily halting water supply from the facility to Karachi.

The disruption is expected to affect Port Qasim, Bin Qasim Town, Shah Faisal Town, PNS Mehran, PAF Base Faisal and the Karsaz area. The spokesperson said KWSC officials were in constant contact with K-Electric management to restore electricity and resume pumping operations.

The Gharo Pumping Station supplies around 30 million gallons of water to Karachi daily. However, the power disruption is expected to leave the city facing a shortfall of approximately 14 million gallons.

The spokesperson added that KWSC normally supplies around 650 million gallons of water to the city daily, while approximately 536 million gallons were being supplied despite the disruption. Water supply from Gharo would return to normal as soon as electricity was restored.

Meanwhile, severe shortages continue to plague several other parts of Karachi. Residents of Gulshan-e-Iqbal's Blocks 13-A, 13-B, 13-C, 13-D, 13-D1, 13-D2, 2, 4 and 5 have reported prolonged disruptions, while Tariq Road, Delhi Mercantile Society, Korangi and Landhi are also facing acute shortages.

Residents complained that the water utility had failed to restore normal supplies despite more than a month of shortages. They said prolonged disruptions, coupled with power failures at pumping stations and problems with water pipelines, had further aggravated the situation. With the metropolis already struggling to meet its water requirements, the latest disruption at Gharo has placed additional pressure on the supply network, raising fears of further shortages across Karachi.

Meanwhile, a K-Electric spokesperson said teams were working to rectify the fault that had disrupted power supply to the Gharo Pumping Station.