KWSB’s damaged line repaired at Dhabeji

A Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s (KWSB) 72-inch water line that burst at the Dhabeji Pumping station two days ago due to the suspension of power supply by the K-Electric (KE) was repaired on Thursday, said a KWSB statement.

According to the press statement from the water board, after the power failure, the 72-inch water line developed cracks due to the backward pressure of water.

On the directions of local government minister Nasir Hussain Shah, the repair work started immediately, said the press statement.

Due to the repair work, 215 million gallons of water couldn’t be supplied to the city on Thursday, it added.

According to the details shared by the water board, the water line burst in the wee hours of Wednesday at around 2am. When the power supply suspended, the water flowed backwards with pressure due to which the water line had had cracks at two different points, it said.

KWSB Managing Director Asadullah, on the directives of the minister, immediately ordered the relevant officials to repair the line, it said.

“The engineers of the KWSB reached the spot early in the morning with heavy machinery and started the repair work. The water line was drained, after which it was repaired.”

The power, according to the water board’s press statement, resumed after five-and-a-half hours at around 8am, after which water supply through other water lines resumed to the city.

The MD water board, meanwhile, appealed to the people of Karachi to use water with care. “The water supply has now resumed from the damaged line as well.” The water board’s press statement said it would take two to three days to fulfil the gap in the supply, hence, citizens should use water carefully.

KE’s version

In a press statement, the KE said it continued to provide uninterrupted power supply to all KWSB strategic locations, including the pumping stations at Dhabeji, Gharo and Pipri. According to the KE spokesperson, the power outage at Dhabeji was restored “in a timely manner and the power utility's maintenance and repair teams were immediately mobilised for this”.

“Moreover, the KE would like to reiterate that all KWSB major water pumping stations are exempt from load-shed in the greater interest of the people of Karachi,” the KE’s statement added.

“Over the years, the power utility has also invested significantly to provide primary as well as backup feeder facility available for Dhabeji pumping station. This also includes addition/upgradation of Power Transformers at Dhabeji, Gharo, KDA (NEK) & RECP (Pipri) grid stations.

In addition to ensuring seamless power supply to all strategic installations of the KWSB, the KE also extends all possible technical support and maintains close coordination with KWSB teams round the clock.”