Court asks IG to show up, explain what is being done about water mafia

Apex court had started suo motu proceedings based on reports submitted by KWSB about water scarcity.

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC) has summoned the IG of Sindh on Friday to explain what action is being taken against the illegal water hydrant mafia in the city.

A two-member bench, comprising Justices Sarmad Jalal Osmany and Amir Hani Muslim, expressed their displeasure over the IG’s absence. He had been summoned to answer queries during the suo motu proceedings regarding the operation of illegally established water hydrants in city.

The apex court had initiated suo motu proceedings based on reports submitted by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board officials about water scarcity in the city and its theft by the mafia.

During meetings held last year about security and other facilities at the Supreme Court’s Karachi Registry and the judges’ residences in the city.

In a report, KWSB’s chief engineer had informed the court that the board itself operates 16 legal water hydrants for a specified duration. He admitted, however, that there were complaints about operations of hydrants beyond such period but water meters were installed there for accurate billing.



The chief engineer had alleged that in defiance of the government’s authority and violation of laws - the mafia had established illegal hydrants and operated openly in the city by obtaining illegal connections from the KWSB’s bulk water pipelines in different areas.

The illegal hydrants have rapidly mushroomed as a lucrative business and the water board’s mainstream pipelines have been subjected to breaches damaging the underground network, the official stated.

The report claimed that such breaches in the water distribution network also polluting clear water, causing health hazards and environmental problems by those who wanted to steal and sell water to the industries, commercial complexes and other businesses.

The report stated that over100 illegal water hydrants were being operated across the city. It claimed that as many as 204 cases were registered against those running unauthorised hydrants at 18 police stations.

Poor laws

The chief engineer said that amendments were proposed to be made to the KWSB Act of 1996, as the existing provisions of the law were not sufficient to empower the water utility to initiate action against those responsible for disruption in the water supply.

He proposed amendments to the water board’s managing director, deputy managing director and officer in-charge.

While taking a suo motu notice on the official’s report on Tuesday, Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk issued notices to the chiefs of police, water utility and others to appear at the Karachi registry.

On Thursday, when the two judges took up the case, the IG police was not present despite being asked to be there. However, AIG Karachi and Additional IG Crimes appeared and informed the court that the IG was at a high level meeting at Chief Minister House. This irked the bench members, who took serious exception of the police chief’s absence.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2015.