NGO steps in to provide potable water to Yousuf Goth
HANDS has increased capacity of the only pumping station of the area.
KARACHI:
The Health and Nutrition Develop Society (Hands) has taken it upon itself to lay down the required infrastructure to provide tap water to the people of Yousuf Goth.
As the water crisis continues and taps run dry, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has failed to lay down the required infrastructure in order to provide tap water to many areas. In an attempt to make up for the water utility's shortcomings, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) is collaborating with citizens to organise events relating to the importance of hygienic water.
In an attempt to inform the media, Hands organised a press briefing at Karachi Press Club on Monday, along with representatives of Gadap Town's Yousuf Goth; a pre-partition settlement of Karachi that is plagued by the scarcity of water. "Around 80,000 people live in Yousuf Goth but there was no pipeline in many of the areas and hygiene and sanitation problems are rampant," said Ghous Bux, a resident of the area. There is only a single water pumping station in the area, installed 15 years ago, and it does not have enough capability to fulfil the potable water requirement for the entire community, he added.
"The residents of Yousuf Goth have raised this issue with the water board many times, but the board says that it does not have the resources to increase the volume of water being provided to the area," he said. "However, with the help of Hands, we have increased the capacity of the pumping station and 60 per cent of the population is now being provided with water. Along with that, there are now five supply lines and a filtration plant."
The NGO's general manager, Ghulam Mustafa Zaor, said that Hands conducted a survey in 2012 to find out the water problems faced by the residents of Yousuf Goth. "We initiated work in Gadap Town to solve the problem of water in the area and with the help of the KWSB and the residents, we were able to help the people."
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.
The Health and Nutrition Develop Society (Hands) has taken it upon itself to lay down the required infrastructure to provide tap water to the people of Yousuf Goth.
As the water crisis continues and taps run dry, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has failed to lay down the required infrastructure in order to provide tap water to many areas. In an attempt to make up for the water utility's shortcomings, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) is collaborating with citizens to organise events relating to the importance of hygienic water.
In an attempt to inform the media, Hands organised a press briefing at Karachi Press Club on Monday, along with representatives of Gadap Town's Yousuf Goth; a pre-partition settlement of Karachi that is plagued by the scarcity of water. "Around 80,000 people live in Yousuf Goth but there was no pipeline in many of the areas and hygiene and sanitation problems are rampant," said Ghous Bux, a resident of the area. There is only a single water pumping station in the area, installed 15 years ago, and it does not have enough capability to fulfil the potable water requirement for the entire community, he added.
"The residents of Yousuf Goth have raised this issue with the water board many times, but the board says that it does not have the resources to increase the volume of water being provided to the area," he said. "However, with the help of Hands, we have increased the capacity of the pumping station and 60 per cent of the population is now being provided with water. Along with that, there are now five supply lines and a filtration plant."
The NGO's general manager, Ghulam Mustafa Zaor, said that Hands conducted a survey in 2012 to find out the water problems faced by the residents of Yousuf Goth. "We initiated work in Gadap Town to solve the problem of water in the area and with the help of the KWSB and the residents, we were able to help the people."
Published in The Express Tribune, July 8th, 2014.