Water Board MD admits city facing acute water shortage

There is an acute shortage of water in Karachi due to its rapidly increasing water and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has been trying to fulfil the water needs of the city with limited water resource.

KWSB Managing Director (MD) Asadullah Khan said this as he spoke to The News. He explained that water was being supplied to the city through the Dhabeji Pumping station and the Hub Canal and District West was facing the most shortage of water compared to other districts of the city.

He said 250,000 gallons of water is supplied to all the deputy commissioners free of charge during Ramazan. Khan said Karachi was the only city in the country where water was supplied from a source 150 kilometres away. He added that water is supplied to those area of the city through tankers where water is unable to reach through lines.

According to the water board chief, the KWSB has chalked out a contingency plan for the coming Ramazan to ensure water supply to mosques and Imambarghahs and keep sewerage lines in order. He explained that the plan was chalked out on directives of Sindh Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah after a high-level meeting.

The demand for water went at peak during Ramazan but the water board had made a plan of water supply on a rotational basis to ensure equitable water distribution and supply, Khan said.

He added that a circular for the standard operating procedure during Ramazan had been issued to all the departments regarding Ramazan and no negligence would be tolerated in this regard. Referring to the sewerage system, the KWSB MD said all machinery was available for repair of sewage lines and manpower had been put on alert to avert any sewerage emergency. He maintained that special arrangements had been made to ensure sewerage lines were clear near the mosques, Imambargahs and graveyards.