Together we can: KWSB seeks police help to stop illegal hydrants

Residents should prepare for worst water crisis if water board fails to stop theft. PHOTO: FILE

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has asked for the police to help shut down illegal hydrants in the city, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

With Karachi losing nearly 15 to 20 millions gallons of water every day, water from illegal hydrants is being sold at several locations. These illegal connections and water hydrants are operating with the help of certain officers of the KWSB, law enforcement agencies and the support of political parties, according to sources. Hence, it is necessary the water board tackles all these fronts to disconnect these connections.

“It is our first priority to register cases when we seal illegal hydrants and connections, so that these players would not be able to restart their illegal businesses,” said water board’s managing director, Qutubuddin Shaikh.

The ongoing drive against illegal water hydrants and connections would be fruitless if the law enforcement agencies do not follow the cases, he said, adding that the police need to patrol the areas where these hydrants are, especially the ones that have been sealed.

“At least 40 hydrants and other illegal connections have been disconnected across the city,” Shaikh pointed out. “Now, it is the responsibility of the law enforcement agencies to not let them reopen.”

Lucrative business

A KWSB official admitted that at least 300 tankers supply water illegally to various parts of the city. Each of these tankers have a capacity of 5,000 litres and each of them tankers make 10 trips per day in which they charge anywhere between Rs1,500 to Rs2,000.

The representative of the Urban Resources Centre, Rubina Jaffery, told The Express Tribunethat there are two main sources of water to Karachi – Keenjhar Lake and Hub River Dam. “However, due to lack of management and corruption, 25 per cent of the water is stolen,” she said.

This is an alarming situation, Jaffery pointed out, adding that, due to fast urbanisation, lack of planning, old infrastructure and corrupt government institutions, residents should prepare for a worst water crisis if the KWSB fails to end water theft or improve their infrastructure.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 9^th, 2013.