2nd phase of crackdown against illegal hydrants launched

Personnel of the Sindh Rangers and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Corporation began the second phase of their grand joint operation against illegal water theft.

Officials said on Friday that in the guise of subsoil water, the citizens' clean drinking water is being sold for commercial use on a large scale. In the second phase, operations are being carried out against the theft of fresh water under the guise of subsoil bore. In an operation, illegal water theft connections were removed along with heavy duty motors and pumps used in water theft.

The operation was carried out in the low line of the Garden police station limits in Jamshed Town. During the action, the supply of four million gallons of water per day was restored. The theft was resulting in a loss of about Rs300 million per month to the national exchequer.

According to the careful estimates of the water board, water worth about Rs2 billion was being stolen annually. According to preliminary information, the stolen water was being stolen from the a33 inch diameter line of the water board and sold for commercial use on a large scale at high prices.

After this major operation, the level of the water supply line in Lyari’s Mira Naka has increased from two feet to six feet. Paramilitary soldiers have so far arrested 165 suspects by taking action against 204 illegal hydrants in 93 operations. They will continue the operation till the illegal hydrants and freshwater theft in the city were completely eradicated.

Earlier, Sindh Rangers DG Major General Azhar Waqas presided over a high-level meeting on security and the meeting was briefed on street crime, water theft, anti-smuggling operations and deportation of migrants in Karachi. The meeting also reviewed in detail the measures taken to prevent crime.