Pakistan: Acute water shortage witnessed during Ramzan in Karachi

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 3 (ANI): Acute water shortage, coupled with a worst gas crisis and power load-shedding in several parts of Karachi has added to the miseries of people during Ramzan as the water supply from one of the main supply lines of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board was disrupted due to an abrupt power breakdown on Sunday, Dawn reported.
The supply of water continued to affect the whole city. However, the worst-hit regions were Landhi, Korangi, Qauidabad, Bin Qasim and adjoining areas after a 72-inch diameter line was impacted due to power suspension by the K-Electric at the Dhabeji pumping station at 11:05 am (local time).
In some regions, people also held protests over the non-availability of tap water in their respective localities. Enraged residents of the Buffer Zone region held protests against the water utility in front of the Nazimabad pumping station, raising slogans and raised demand for immediate restoration of water supply to their locality.
The residents said that their locality had been without a drop of water for the past three weeks. The people warned that they would hold a protest in front of the KWSB head office if the water supply was not restored to their area, as per the Dawn report.
Residents of several localities, including Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Mohammad Ali Society, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony, Surjani Town, New Karachi, Garden, Saddar, Defence Housing Authority and Clifton have said that their localities were not receiving water even before Ramazan.
Some of the residents claimed that an artificial water crisis was created in connivance with the water utility staff, which was forcing the people of these regions to buy water through tankers at a higher rate, as per the news report.
Speaking to Dawn, the insiders in the water utility revealed that more than 550 million gallons of water a day was being fed into the city's main pumping station at Dhabeji for city that required more than 1,100 MGD. The insiders said 40 per cent of water was either lost or stolen before it reached consumers.
As per the news report, there are numerous leakages in the supply lines of the water utility that resulted in the wastage of millions of gallons on a daily basis. Thousands of gallons of water are being wasted for a long time due to the cracks in a line for DHA.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the water utility said that the restoration work on the 72-inch line affected due to the power breakdown was in progress. He further said that the repair work on the impacted line will be completed in the next 24 hours and added that water supply to the city continued through alternate lines. (ANI)