Breakdown at Dhabeji pumping station leaves several areas without water for six days
The Judicial Commission on Saturday directed the Managing Director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to issue notices to ghost employees in the water utility’s laboratories. PHOTO: EXPRESS
KARACHI:
The teeming metropolis of over 30 million people has been in the grip of a debilitating water crisis as the supply remains suspended in several neighborhoods for the past six days, making life more difficult in the sweltering heat of the unforgiving summer.
The crisis started after a major power outage on April 27 at the Dhabeji pumping station, which resulted in the bursting of three main water transmission lines. Although the repair work on Line 5 has been completed, the restoration work on Lines 1 and 2 is still ongoing even after six days.
Due to the disruption, water supply has been suspended in several areas of the city, including Korangi, Landhi, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Liaquatabad, PIB Colony, Nazimabad, Malir, Shah Faisal Colony and Chanesar Goth, among others.
Read more: Serious water supply crisis looms in the city
Sources in the Karachi Water and Sanitation Corporation said that as a result of breakdowns and ongoing repair work, seven pumping stations at the Dhabeji plant were currently out of service, leading to a massive shortage of water supply to the metropolis.
They added that efforts were underway to complete the repair work, with the possibility of restoration by Sunday. However, they warned that normal water supply was expected to resume 24 hours after the completion of repairs.
Sources further warned that water supply disruptions are likely to continue in the city for the next three to four days, worsening the situation of already affected residents.
