Half of Karachi’s water supply stolen or wasted: commissioner

Karachi 

Karachi Commissioner Syed Asif Haider Shah said on Tuesday about half of the drinking water supplied to the city was being either stolen or wasted.

Talking to the office-bearers of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), he said the daily demand of the city was about 1,100 to 1,200 million gallons, but only 450 million gallons were being supplied. “Out of the supplied water, 45 percent does not reach citizens due to theft and wastage,” he added.

The commissioner said the issue would be discussed at a meeting of the government authorities with the World Bank president, who was due in Karachi on February 10.

Haider said there was a need to improve water inflows to ensure availability of water, and in this regard, the commissioner office was in discussions with the authorities.

He also highlighted the issue of urban transport and traffic congestion.

Haider said the World Bank would be apprised about short-term solutions to traffic problems in the city. He said the bank would be asked to provide buses on easy loans.

He said the local authorities had engaged the World Bank on various projects to make Karachi economically prosperous by 2030.

Talking about the Lyari Expressway, he said a part of the project was incomplete for which the commissioner office had approached the Sindh chief minister for funds, instead of waiting for a federal grant.

He informed the participants that six major roads, including Korangi Road, would be upgraded this year.

Earlier, KATI President Zahid Saeed said there were 372 textile units in the industrial zone, and it was contributing seven percent to the total textile exports. He further informed that 78 percent of crude oil was refined by two refineries located in the industrial zone.

He complained that different authorities like the KWSB and the SBCA were working independently and paid no attention to the industrial zone, which was generating Rs300 million daily for the national exchequer.

Former KATI president Zubair Chhaya presented a detailed overview of Korangi Industrial Area, stating that industrial units had on their own developed roundabouts and greenbelts. He said that recently the Karachi Municipal Corporation (KMC) issued notices to industrial entities for paying taxes.

He said the association had decided not to pay any tax and instead it would remove the greenbelts. He said there were serious issues pertaining to roads and the industrial area needed a Rs500 million one-time grant to resolve them.