SHC directs CBC, KWSB to submit details of water supply mechanism in DHA, Clifton

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday directed the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to submit reports regarding the water supply mechanism in different areas of DHA and Clifton, storage capacity of DHA as well as the timetable for water supply by the KWSB to the cantonment board.

The direction came on identical petitions filed by residents of DHA for supply of water through pipelines in the area and against imposition of additional charges for water supply through tankers.

A division bench of the SHC headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi directed the Defence Housing Authority, CBC and KWSB to file reports on actions taken by them for preventing the water theft.

The high court also inquired the water board and cantonment board as to whether water in DHA was being supplied on a daily basis, two-to-three-day, weekly or fortnight basis. A counsel for the KWSB sought time to file para-wise comments on the petitions on the next hearing.

The SHC directed the KWSB and other respondents to file their comments with regard to water supply to the CBC. Petitioner Naeem Sadiq and others had submitted in the petitions that the cantonment board was charging Rs2,886 to 108,219 for residential houses and Rs4,040 to Rs61,612 for commercial units under annual water tax.

They submitted that the high court had already adjudicated the issue with regard to supply of water and the cantonment board’s responsibility, and observed that in case of failure to supply water, the CBC disentitled itself from charging, claiming or collecting water tax from the residents.

The petitioners submitted that no water meters had been installed by the respondents and water tax was being charged as per the size of the property, not per the quantity of water being consumed.

They submitted that the cantonment board was providing roughly 30 per cent water of the total need of its residents and charging onerous levies and additional costs against the same. They submitted that all the residents of DHA and CBC were burdened not only with onerous charges by the cantonment board and even then, they were not being provided sufficient amount of water.

The CBC had earlier informed the high court that the KWSB and DHA/CBC were in agreement to supply 9MGD water to the CBC since 1999. However, the KWSB had failed to provide the agreed-upon water supply and over the years, the supply was gradually reduced to almost half.

A CBC official said that the current demand of the CBC residents had reached 16mgd, and this ever-increasing gap between the demand and supply could only be resolved through a collective and collaborative effort of the KWSB, Sindh government and CBC.

The cantonment board’s counsel requested the high court to direct the KWSB to ensure 9MGD water supply to the CBC so that its residents may not suffer from acute water shortage.