Despite tall claims to deal with water tanker mafia with iron-hand, dozens of illegal hydrants are overtly selling contaminated water to the Karachiites in water-scarce pockets of the city, Business Recorder learned on Tuesday. Due to illegal water hydrants established at Ibrahim Hyderi and Chakra Goth areas of Bin Qasim and Korangi, thousands of gallons of water share of Chakra Goth, Ibrahim Hyderi and other parts of city is being stolen on daily basis.
Sources said that these water hydrants are being operated under patronage of highly influential people, causing water scarcity for the area people. The water shortage in Chakra Goth and its adjoining areas reaches dangerous level as inhabitants are passing through difficult times as hundreds of water-tankers are being filled daily from these illegal hydrants.
Monthly 431,040,000 gallons water is being stolen via 51,840 tankers from illegal hydrants established near Chakra Goth and Ibrahim Hyderi. Powerful mafia with the help of influential people started earning Rs 32,736,000 monthly. "The major reason of the unavailability potable in these areas is illegal water hydrant as bulk water share for locality is stolen through water tanker. The miseries eventually have to be faced by local people", said an official of Karachi Water and Sewerage & Sewerage Board.
He said that several times illegal hydrants have been raided and lines were cut off but they have been made operational again with help of powerful water mafia. The women and children are seen roaming in search of water or sitting in a long queue near community taps in wait of water. The investigation conducted by private NGO it has shown that millions of gallons of water share of Chakra Goth and Ibrahim Hyderi has been stolen by the illegal hydrants.
The survey showed that daily the tanker mafia via 728 small tankers bought 4,368,000 gallons of water from hydrant owners in Rs 291,200 only. The tanker mafia monthly via 21,840 small tankers bought 131,040,000 gallons of water from hydrant owners and paid Rs 8,736,000 only, whereas 1,000 big tankers of tanker mafia daily get 10,000,000 gallons of water from hydrant owners and pay Rs 800,000 only.
The tanker mafia via 30,000 big tankers gets 300,000,000 gallons of water monthly from hydrant owners and pay Rs 24,000,000 only. The survey also showed that for last eight years the city and Sindh governments many times raided these illegal hydrants and sealed them.
But the influential people in the current government turned a blind eye towards the issue as they are involved in this business of illegal hydrants and water stealing. The locality people are forced to use dirty water or seawater and become victim of skin and stomach diseases.
Sources said that illegal water hydrants are also being operated in several other parts of city including Manzoor Colony, Pak Colony, Malir, Korangi, Orangi and Baldia, and are exorbitantly charging high price to supply subsoil and unhygienic water to the residents of different water-starved localities.
They said a large number of these hydrants are using boring water to run this illegal business while some of them have illicitly acquired connections from water mains to cater the needs of the water-famished residents. They alleged that the said act of the owners of these illegal hydrants to get water connections from mains could not be done without connivance of the relevant officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), causing to provide huge financial loss to the cash-starved water board besides threatening the lives those people who are meeting their water demands through these illegal hydrants.
Although the KW&SB had launched various campaigns against these illegal hydrants, the same did not yield fruit because of the relevant officials' patronage; they said, adding that these campaigns could not be successful unless the board would take punitive measures against its officials found guilty in this connection. Karachi Water &Sewerage Board water tanker service is available at Rs 400 per 2000 gallons of water. But the persistent bribe culture in water board has compelled the inhabitants of water-deficient localities to pay Rs 1400 to Rs 2000 to get the said quantity of water from private water tankers service to meet their demand.
"I pay Rs 600 and Rs 700 for single tanker, Rs 1000 to Rs 1200 for double tanker, and Rs 2000 to Rs 2200 for large tanker. But the water I get is brackish and contaminated which can not be used for cooking and other purposes", said Sher Hussain, a resident of locality.
It has also been noticed that couple of weeks back it was decided that water hydrant of Karachi Water & Sewerage Board at the main gate of Karachi Zoo would be shifted to some other place. The said water hydrant was putting adverse effect on the internal and external environment of zoo and posing danger to the lives of citizens but no measures have so far been taken for shifting hydrant.
Managing Director Karachi Water & Sewerage Board Misbah-u-Din Fareed when contacted he admitted that illegal water hydrants are being operated in city, however, he claimed that no illegal hydrant is being operated in Chakra Goth. He said illegal water hydrants are also being operated in Baldia and other parts of city.
"We have raided several times and shut these hydrants but they have made operational again," Misbah informed. To question about hydrants in Ibrahim Hyderi, he said that private company is operating these hydrants. He said that KW&SB is striving hard to get all illegal hydrants closed in city.