Bidding adieu after 25 years: Water board silent on MD’s resignation

MD says that his departure is due to personal reasons while others hint at political interference.

KARACHI:

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board managing director, Misbahuddin Farid, resigned on Thursday due to “personal reasons”, leaving behind a utility struggling to meet the city’s water needs amid increasing theft.

The sudden exit of the MD left even his closest of aides wondering what exactly pushed him to take this step as Farid was considered close to the ruling coalition.

“I am tired. There are so many things to look after, such as my health and family,” Farid told The Express Tribune. “It was a hectic job. New issues concerning water and sewerage come up every day.” But he hinted at frustration with the job and bureaucracy, saying, “I was fighting on so many fronts at the same time. How could I tackle illegal hydrants stealing water and mafias involved in encroaching on our land all by myself?”

It was not clear if the Sindh local government department had accepted Farid’s resignation by the time this report was filed late Thursday. There was no word on his replacement either and the water board’s media department refused to issue any official statement.

His exit comes just two days after the water board shut off all the hydrants across the city in a bid to end water theft. Over the past few months, the board has taken action against illegal water connections and hydrants which caused pressure to drop in main pipelines. Tankers fill up from these hydrants to sell in areas not connected to the piped network.

After joining KWSB in November, 1987, Farid was appointed managing director on January 15, 2011. As project manager, he played a prominent role in the K-III scheme, which brought an additional supply of 100 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city in 2006.

Farid was known to keep an open relationship with the media and took journalists along on “operations” against water theft. But some people have accused him of turning a blind eye to ‘influential’ culprits and those with political affiliations.

The Karachi Water Tanker Owners Welfare Association alleged that illegal hydrants were still running in Baldia, Manghopir, Banaras and other areas. According to the association, the hydrants, which suck water from large pipelines, can’t be set up without the tacit approval of the water board.

A senior water board official, who worked closely with Farid, blamed political interference for the frustration in the organisation. “We shut down illegal hydrants so many times but somehow, they start working again.” He alleged that the police have always been reluctant to help them board control theft.

“The government has been asked so many times to make theft a non-bailable offence but no action has been taken as yet.”

Karachi needs 1,100 MGD but receives around 450 MGD.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2012.