Residents protest against water mafia. PHOTO: EXPRESS
Alleging that the 'water mafia', with the help of corrupt Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) officials, was digging wells in the park, which is commonly referred to as the Nazimabad Eidgah, the protesters gathered in Nazimabad No. 3 to make themselves heard.
"The water mafia is openly using heavy machinery and stolen electricity to dig these wells," claimed Abdul Hameed, a resident of the neighbourhood. "All of us use private wells for potable water since the KWSB supply has been suspended here for a long time. These wells, up to 200 feet deep, will make the entire area go dry."
Pasban-e-Pakistan's Karachi vice-president Zamir Ahmed requested the Sindh governor, Sindh chief minister, Rangers DG and Karachi commissioner to stop the digging in a park where the area's residents traditionally gathered.
"The purpose of these wells is to provide water to the industries in Site," he claimed. "However, such historical places cannot be ruined without obtaining a no-objection certificate from the relevant officials and no officials have taken responsibility for allowing the wells to be dug."
Ahmed added that the wells would only exacerbate the water shortage in Nazimabad.
The KSWB spokesperson, when contacted, told The Express Tribune that the water utility was not involved in digging any illegal wells. "This is a matter that should be taken seriously by the law enforcement agencies."
Meanwhile, demonstrators burnt tyres and blocked the streets near Pakistan Chowk and Burnes Road in Saddar in protest against the lack of water. The protesters, under the banner of the PTI, were dispersed by the law enforcement agencies.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, PTI legislator Khurram Sher Zaman said that the entire area had been deprived of water for three months, with even water tankers not available. "There is not even a single drop of water in the taps," he asserted.
He warned that if the problem was not solved immediately, their next step would be to besiege the Chief Minister House and the KSWB head office.
Free water tankers
Provincial information and local government minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced that 1,000 free water tankers would be provided to the areas of the city facing acute water shortage from Monday.
In a statement issued on Sunday after a meeting held by the KWSB management and the city administration, Memon added that the government will increase the number of these tankers to 3,000 in the month of Ramazan.
He further said that a committee, comprising deputy commissioners, chief engineers and executive engineers, had been formed to monitor the free service.
"The government has taken steps to overcome the crisis by managing the water distribution issues," he said, adding that meters had been installed on 16 main lines to control leakages and water theft. "Industries are also being checked and will be disconnected if found stealing water, while 62 water parks have also been disconnected."
The minister claimed that the KWSB management had also taken short- and long-term decisions to increase the city's water supply, adding that 162 million gallons per day had been immediately increased.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 18th, 2015.
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