Karachi [Pakistan], May 12 (ANI): Karachi residents are grappling with a severe water crisis, as many localities have been without water for nearly two weeks. The ongoing shortage, exacerbated by the region’s sweltering weather, has forced many to purchase water at exorbitant prices.
This crisis follows the rupture of an 84-inch water main on the Karachi University campus on April 29, severely disrupting the city’s water supply. Despite orders from Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to restore normal water supply, residents are still waiting for relief. The repair work to fix the ruptured line has been delayed, as it requires carefully refilling the repaired section with water under low pressure.
The Chief Minister had directed that water supply be restored by Saturday, but internal sources suggest that it may take several more days for the situation to stabilize. Karachi typically requires over 1,200 million gallons of water daily (MGD), but the city is currently receiving only 400 MGD, about 40 percent of the usual supply of 650 MGD.
Residents from various districts across the city, including Gulshan-i-Iqbal, Scheme-33, PECHS, Bahadurabad, and others, have struggled to access water for their daily needs. Many have resorted to purchasing water from tankers at higher prices.
Zaid Rabbani, a resident of PECHS, shared his frustration, saying, “We somehow arranged a water tanker, but only after paying an additional price.” Tauseef Ali Shah, a resident of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, echoed similar concerns, noting, “The supply was restored for hardly an hour. The pressure was too low, and we managed to fill just two buckets of water.”
The KWSC had initially promised to complete the repairs within 96 hours, but delays have been caused by the need to replace a 32-foot section of the damaged pipeline. While the situation is expected to stabilize soon, recurring issues with leakages in the city’s aging water supply lines, some of which were laid as far back as 1956, have made the infrastructure vulnerable to frequent ruptures, contributing to ongoing disruptions in water service.
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