‘KWSC, Rangers dismantle Rs15bn worth of illegal water supply network’

The Sindh Rangers and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) have put an end to a major water theft operation in Karachi that had been ongoing for several years, involving the theft of Rs15 billion worth of water.

A 54-inch pipeline was dug 18 feet deep near Landhi Labour Square, stretching 200 feet in length, which was used for the daily theft of two million gallons of water. The water theft operation involved the construction of a pipeline three hundred feet below ground level from the tank to the site of the water theft.

Authorities revealed that the water theft was taking place at an RO plant, and multiple storage tanks were built beneath a room to store millions of gallons of stolen water. The KWSC and Rangers completely dismantled the water connections in an operation held on Thursday.

Chief Executive Officer KWSC Engineer Syed Salahuddin Ahmed spearheaded the operation. In connection with the water theft, an FIR has been registered against ten suspects, including Kashif, Shoaib, Iqbal Qaimkhani, Abdul Khaliq Maroof, and Muhammad Shafiq.

Ahmed congratulated and praised the Rangers, Sindh police, and corporation officials for their achievement, noting that this successful operation would lead to an improved water supply in the surrounding areas.

He explained that billions of gallons of water had been stolen over the past several years, amounting to a daily loss of Rs0.4 million. He also mentioned that under the water corporation act, the punishment for water theft is a five-year sentence and a fine of Rs5 million. He said drone footage of the water theft location had been created previously, and investigations would be conducted against KWSC officials if they were found complicit in the water theft.

The CEO emphasized that no matter how influential or powerful water thieves may be, they would not be spared, as the water belonged only to the citizens. He asserted that water thieves would not be allowed to steal the citizens’ share of water.

He also pointed out that, with the assistance of the Rangers, a large number of illegal hydrants and unauthorized connections had been severed throughout the city. He promised that further indiscriminate actions against water thieves in Karachi would be taken to ensure that the people of Karachi received their fair share of water.