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KWSB told to hire water tankers to meet District West’s shortage

By Our Correspondent
April 23, 2018

Sindh’s chief minister has directed the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) to provide more water to the deprived areas of the city, particularly District West where at least a million gallons a day (mgd) of additional water is required.

CM Syed Murad Ali Shah issued the directive on Sunday while presiding over a high-level meeting at the committee room of the finance department to devise a water management plan for the areas facing a water shortage.

Sindh Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro informed the chief executive that the main sources that provide water to Karachi are the Keenjhar Lake (the Indus River) and the Hub Dam, from where water is pumped through three key bulk pumping stations located at Dhabeji, Gharo and Hub.

Shoro said the normal criterion of water supply from the Indus River is 550mgd, while it is 100mgd from the Hub Dam. He said the population of the city is 17 million, and the maximum water demand comes to 918mgd as per 54 gallons per capita a day, while the industrial demand for water comes to 126mgd.

KWSB Managing Director Khalid Shaikh said the present water supply from the Indus River has come down to 450mgd and that from the Hub to 30mgd. This shows that the difference between water supply and demand in the city has come to 438mgd, he added.

CM Shah said he has reports that there is a water shortage in District West, particularly in Orangi Town, Baldia, SITE and Gadap as well as partially in Nazimabad. Shaikh responded that these areas depend on the Hub Dam, where the water level has depleted from 115mgd to only 30mgd.

District South Deputy Commissioner Asif Jameel told the meeting that two reverse-osmosis water filtration plants – one operating in Lyari’s Ahmed Shah area and the other in Civil Lines’ Shireen Jinnah locality – are not working. Jameel said that both the plants have stopped working because of disconnection of their power supply.

On this the CM expressed displeasure and directed the water board MD to get them operational by Monday (today). “I want you [Shaikh] to clear their power bills and make them operational, and send a report by Monday evening.”

District West DC Tariq Chandio said the water board provides 300mgd of water to his district through water tankers, but it is insufficient to cater to the needs of the area. The chief executive directed the KWSB to provide 1mgd more water to District West. He said that this water will be provided through tankers and distributed by the DC.

The West DC informed Shah that there are only 257 water tanks in the district through which the commodity is supplied for public consumption. The CM then issued directives to establish 100 more fibre tanks so that 1mgd of water can easily be supplied.

The chief executive also directed the DCs of all the districts of the city to duly inform the KWSB about the water demand of their respective districts so that the water board can make arrangements for tankers accordingly.

He also directed the DCs to set up more water tanks in their respective areas, if required, and fill them through water tankers so that people can draw water from them. Shah directed Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon to look after the implementation of the plan he has given to the KWSB and provide them with funds wherever they are needed. The meeting was also attended by CM’s Principal Secretary Sohail Rajput, Karachi police chief Addl IGP Mushtaq Mahar and Karachi Commissioner Aijaz Ali Khan.