KARACHI : The water shortage crisis in the city, which is previously getting fewer than 50 % its required water supply, is deepening because of suspension of providing from main pumping stations twice in current days, while on the other hand, authorities have claimed that the supply would be normalized, a top official declared on Wednesday . He also expressed the hope that the new pumping station installed at the Dhabeji pumping station would begin operation within the following few days which would further decrease the stress.
However, he added that the current damage to key pipelines in the city due to quick eroding infrastructure remained a source of concern which had caused wastage of 100s of gallons of water recently. “Unfortunately 72-inch pipeline at the central Dhabeji pumping station burst due to energy breakdown twice in a week,” said Sindh Local Bodies Minister Saeed Ghani.
“That caused suspension in water supply for some days. It took time to get it normalized, but then within the city, some key pipelines were damaged which affected the supply to a couple of areas. The supply has turned normal and the situation would improve in a day or 2,” he added. Due to the current suspension of supply from Dhabeji, old city areas of Lyari and Keamari, Korangi, Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Malir, Landhi, Model Colony, Manzoor Colony, Mehmoodabad, Ahsanabad, Gulshan-i-Maymar, and Orange Town were among the places which remained badly affected.
The minister declared the city was facing acute water shortages as it was receiving close to 500MGD against the demand of 1, 100MGD. The Sindh govt had allocated enough funds for the growth of water resources and supply as well as improved the sewerage system, which would improve the situation within the next 2 yrs, he claimed. “In this budget, the allocation for the Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan is Rs5bn,” he said. “There is a mega task called S-III with a budget of Rs36 .11bn and it is under implementation since final over a decade. Similarly, the Sindh govt has allocated Rs800m for the ongoing Greater Karachi Water Supply project, also known as K-IV. We are also working on multiple proposals to finalize them for recycling of water and contain its wastage .”
