Summer woes: Residents protest water shortage

Allege that the board was creating a superficial water crisis.

KARACHI: The shortage of potable water for domestic use forced the residents of Orangi Town, Banaras, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, North Nazimabad and Golimar to take to the streets in protest against the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board management on Sunday.

The protesters alleged that the board was creating a superficial water crisis as its officials had been unable to demolish the illegal water hydrants despite several complaints from the residents.

“The summer has just started and we are already craving water,” lamented Kamal Shah, a resident of Banaras. He said that the KWSB officials had been claiming to have been running a crackdown against the water hydrant mafia since the last one year, but there had been no respite for the common man.

Shah claimed that there were several illegal connections at the main Banaras Chowrangi, but the KWSB officials had turned a blind eye towards them. “Everyone knows that an influential politician has installed illegal connections from the main line going through Banaras Roundabout to Abdullah Chowrangi,” he alleged.

“The authorities are still reluctant to disconnect the illegal supply.”

Meanwhile, the KWSB officials blamed the water crisis on K-Electric, claiming that frequent load-shedding at their pumping stations had created the situation.

The K-electric spokesperson, however, refuted these allegations, blaming the old wiring and infrastructure of the pumping stations for the frequent breakdowns.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 14^th, 2014.