KWSC officials accused of fabricating water crisis in Karachi

KARACHI: Residents of Karachi area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 13 D-2 have been struggling with acute water scarcity for years, with some neighborhoods facing a complete shutdown due to water shortages for even as long as two years.

Reports have been received that the officials of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) have artificially created a water crisis. While the shortage has  prevailed for two years at certain places, most of them are facing this problem since over a year. Their only source of water is through underground which is not good for the health.

Similarly, they are compelled to purchase water tankers that come at excessive rates, which had become a great burden on the routine of domestic activity. Lousy policies of the Sindh government have resulted in no new projects being aimed at supplying water, and corrupt water board officials evading accountability further spoil things.

Residents of Block 13 D-2 told the Sindh High Court that Karachi had been facing water shortage for the last 16 years and that patience was running out.

They have been reeling under acute water scarcity for the last eight years and the water supply stopped abruptly in 2016.

After complaint, Assistant Executive Engineer Nabil Ahmed conducted a visit to the pipeline and said that it was damaged due to the corrosion of iron.

However, the locals complained that Ahmed deliberately damaged functional pipelines to sell illegal connections. The matter was reported to senior officials but nothing was done against Ahmed, and the issue remains unresolved.

The residents accused Ahmed, who is on the patronage of Executive Engineer Wasif Farooqui, of deliberately damaging pipelines to secure new tenders for pipeline installations.

 It has happened many times that with time, the same pipeline goes into nonfunctional shape, then starts taking bribes from residents for water connections. In 2017, a new pipeline was installed under the supervision of Ahmed, but with time it too went out of order.

The residents are annoyed over lack of action against corrupt officers and failure of the Sindh government to provide relief to people regarding the water crisis. As the problem persists, the people might become retaliatory over this issue of water, and the locals might take the law into their hands.

The situation is grim, and immediate attention is required to solve the water problem and prosecute the corrupt officials concerned.