The row between two public utilities - Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) and K-Electric (K-E) has caused great sufferings to the Karachiites especially in the month of holy Ramazan as the city reportedly faced about 350 million gallons water scarcity on Thursday. The KWSB and K-Electric are indulged in continuous blame game, putting the citizens on receiving end. Major pumping stations of the KWSB faced 9-hour long loadshedding led to the shortage of about 350 million gallons in the city.
District-West was the most affected area while the residents did not get water due to hours-long power-outages at Hub New pumping stations suspending the supply of 130 million gallons of water.
Similarly, hours-long electricity suspension at Gharo Pumping stations halted the supply of 150 million gallons of water in the city. An official at the KWSB has accused the management of K-Electric for observing unannounced and prolonged loadshedding at the instalments of the power utility. "Water supply to the city has badly been affected for the last two months due to the indifference attitude of the power utility," the official source said.
Increasing incidents of water thefts and official patronage in providing unlawful connections to builders, agricultural and poultry farms and private swimming pools have also added to the miseries of the citizens in the current hot and humid weather. Tankers' mafia taking an undue advantage of the situation did a roaring business in the water-starved localities of the metropolis by charging exorbitant rates.
Insiders told Business Recorder that the tankers' mafia in connivance with the KWSB officials was directly involved in selling water from the KWSB hydrants. Though the KWSB had off and on launches operations against illegal water hydrants, a number of illegal water hydrants belonging to influential people continue to flourish in different parts of the city, thereby causing huge financial losses to the water utility.
While the K-E official told this correspondent that the engineering teams of both utilities are always in co-ordination in case of any major power breakdown. The K-Electric also advised the KWSB to repair its obsolete cables and wires. The power utility said it had asked the KWSB time and time again to repair its faulty infrastructure.
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