Sir: The water crisis has aggravated in Karachi and no one at the helm of affairs is ready to pay attention to resolve this issue. Karachiites have been left at the mercy of tanker mafias, who are fleecing consumers by charging Rs 4,000 to 8,000 per tanker. The rates of water tankers vary from one locality to the other. The residents of various water-starved localities in Karachi, who are convinced that the government will do nothing to provide them clean and safe water, have started boring wells on a self-finance basis. It has been learnt that the government has conducted operations against illegal water hydrants but the government has miserably failed to stop water theft. It is now a known fact that water is being siphoned through illegal connections to illegal hydrants and it seems that the tanker mafias are enjoying the covert patronage and support of politicians and higher authorities.It is the responsibility of the government to resolve the water crisis in Karachi and initiate projects to meet the rising water demand of the metropolis.MADAD ALI CHANNAKarachi