Blame game: Citizens suffer as utilities settle scores with each other

Worst-hit areas include Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, North Nazimabad, Baldia.

KARACHI:

As the tussle between the utilities over the payment of each others dues continue, the citizens keep suffering from water shortages, power cuts and gas suspension, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Karachiites have been grappling with one of the worst shortages of water supply and unannounced load-shedding of power and gas, while the utility service providers resort to blame games.

For the past 10 days, residents of different areas are completely without water and are facing electricity shortfall, while some areas claim that they are short of natural gas.

The areas that are badly-hit include Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Nazimabad, North Nazimabad, Baldia, Lyari and Mehmoodabad.

This has resulted in a law and order situation in some areas with infuriated citizens attacking the offices and burning assets of these utility services on different occasions to register their protest.

The consumers were shocked when  the Karachi Electric Supply Company (KESC) announced that because of the non-payment of Rs7.5 billion from the government the power utility would increase the duration of load-shedding to 13 hours in both industrial and residential areas. Officials of KWSB, KESC and Sui Southern Gas Company, however, blame each other for the shortages.

When asked about the recent water shortage around the city, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) official blamed the KESC for carrying out unannounced load-shedding at Dhabeji pumping station, thereby, causing 400 million gallons of shortage.

KESC official Adil Murtaza while talking to The Express Tribune said that the KWSB owed Rs24 billion to the power utility.

Despite the intervention of senior government officials in relevant ministries and the use of public appeals to release at least Rs7.5 billion out of the total payables, the water board did not budge. In fact, significant payments were made to other energy sectors, he claimed.

Mutaza denied, however, having any knowledge of unannounced load-shedding at Dhabeji pumping station.

On the other hand, SSGC official Innayat Ismail said that KESC had to pay dues worth Rs22 billion, adding that whenever they asked for payment, they were told that KWSB owed Rs18 billion to the power utility. They were assured to make payment of the remaining Rs4 billion once the KWSB clears its due, he added.

He added that that the crises emerged when KESC was privatised.  Earlier, the transaction of money between both the services was smooth .

Where the problem lies

A retired employee of KESC and CBA former general-secretary Karamat Hussain said that even when the KESC was nationalised, they faced shortages of power, but the administration and employees continued relentlessly to overcome the power crises.

Now, they have increased the prices of electricity, but their ability to provide uninterrupted power has become less than 40 per cent, he claimed.

“They do not invest money on infrastructure and supply lines. They are just making money,” he added. He asked the government to immediately nationalise the power utility, otherwise the people of the city would continue to suffer despite payment to the company, he claimed.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2013.