Water shortages: Dhabeji pump repaired, says Siddiqui

City commissioner believes that water crisis can be handled with proper management

KARACHI: The Dhabeji water pump has been repaired, which will reduce the burden of water shortage in North Karachi, announced city commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui on Friday.

Speaking during a press briefing at his office, he was of the opinion that the problem was not water shortage. “It is all about the management and distribution of the water,” he claimed, adding that the Dhabeji pump had been repaired. “It is the main pump which supplies water to most of the areas of the city.”

According to Siddiqui, the alternate pumping station scheme, which is the city is in dire need of, has been approved by the Sindh government. “This scheme will cost Rs1.23 billion, which will be issued by the Sindh government,” he revealed.

Siddiqui also requested the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board managing director, Qutubuddin Shaikh, to deploy officers in all six districts of Karachi. “These officers will monitor the valve operation and the balance supply of the water,” he maintained, adding that K-Electric had promised him six months ago that there would be no loadshedding in areas where there were water pumps. The power utility had also claimed, however, that poor cable networks caused power breakdowns in these areas. To address this problem, Siddiqui guaranteed Rs12 million for the utility service.

Meanwhile, Shaikh was of the opinion that the city had been facing a water shortage since the Hub dam dried up due to the lack of rain in Karachi. “We will offer Namaz-e-Istasqah at Hub Dam on Tuesday,” he added.

The commissioner also accepted that 10 hydrants, approved by the Sindh government, were not functioning properly. “Six of these hydrants are in the process [of being repaired] and the remaining four will be functioning by Monday,” he assured