No chlorination carried out: KW&SB supplies untreated water to many city areas

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) is supplying contaminated water to many city areas, which might cause outbreak of water-born diseases, endangering the health of the citizen. Many residents complained that the water being supplied to their areas by the utility is not only muddy but also carry a distinct odour.
Insiders said that KW&SB had not carried out chlorination of the water being supplied to the city areas. They said the board has not even purchased certain chemicals and materials used for purification of water, such as alum, lime, acid and chlorine. Chlorine is a highly efficient disinfectant, and it is added to drinking water being supplied to citizens to kill disease-causing bacteria that the water or the pipes might contain.
"Chlorine has been hailed as the savoir against cholera and various other water-borne diseases, and rightfully so," says an expert. "Its disinfectant qualities have allowed communities and whole cities to grow and prosper by providing disease-free tap water to homes and industry."
An engineer in KW&SB requesting anonymity told Business Recorder that the administration had made payments to the contractors under the head of non-development work instead of purchasing chlorine and other chemicals to purify the water.
"During the monsoon season especially after torrential rains and floods in Sindh, KW&SB is receiving muddy and contaminated water at its pumping station which needed to be chlorinated. The citizens are getting polluted water, causing health problems," he said, adding that water is being supplied to the citizens without taking any disinfectant measures.
Sources in the board disclosed that KW&SB had ran out of chorine stock last month and since then no chemical has been procured to purify the water. They said the utility was making feeble excuses that it has not sufficient money to purchase water-purifying chemicals. However, the utility has made payments of millions of rupees to its various contractors, they added.
They alleged the concerned officials of KW&SB used to receive 20 percent kickback on every payment to the contractors, so they give preference to payment to contractors. They said the board officials did not bother to purchase chlorine for cleansing drinking water, but frequently paid heavy sums to the contractors for ensuring their 20 percent commission or kickback.
They said KW&SB paid Rs 40 million to a private contractor last month. The sources said that the utility could have purchased disinfectant chemical if only few lakh rupees from aforementioned amount would have been set aside for the purpose. Residents of many localities complained that the water being supplied to their area was not only muddy but also had an odour.