Daily Times

KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) after becoming an independent entity in 1996 has failed in collecting water dues from all tiers of consumers.

Till November 2017, around Rs 65.13 billion have been accumulated as water dues on more than 1.3 million consumers out of registered 1.84 million consumers with the entity.

These consumers include bulk, industrial, commercial, residential and federal and provincial government besides city district government departments. Besides millions of population of 574 katchi abadis and 1,149 Gothabad areas were also not paying water dues and also have illegal water connections under the nose of water civic entity. Several attempts and schemes launched by civic entity for collection of water dues during 19 years had gone in waste due to inefficiency and corrupt practices of its water management and billing responsible.

After segregating from Karachi Development Authority as it wing in 1983 and later separating from Karachi Metropolitan Corporation in 1996, KWSB under an Act 1996 by Sindh Assembly, it was made an independent civic entity.

According to KWSB official numerical numbers, retailers and commercial water consumers stand over 1.83 million and bulk-industrial, Cattle Colony and government departments come around 9,449 consumers.

Akhtar Ghouri, Deputy Managing Director Tax Revenue was of the view that the department has no sufficient manpower to tackle the recovery position of the entity. On the directives of Supreme Court and under suggestions of Water Commission, we have sent a bulk-consumers action plan of the department to Chief Minister for taking action, he remarked. Concerned officials of civic body were being interrogated on this effect and would be dealt under law. A report on this effect would be received to my office by December 12, 2017, he informed.

Around 1.5 million retail and commercial consumers are under debt of Rs 22.77 billion water dues and 6,822 bulk consumers defaulting of Rs 42 billion and were not paying water dues for long. Overall only 4 percent recovery of default water money that stands around Rs 2.50 billion from consumers in all categories was made during July-November 2017.

The foreign loan from donors with interest has been accumulated to Rs 30.58 billion on KWSB when dollar was valuing to Rs 32. KWSB also owed $40 million loan of World Bank that was received 15 years ago. Current recovery during last fiscal year 2016-17, only 16 percent of dues were recovered from Korangi Industrial Estate zone, 14 percent from F B Area, 13 percent from North Karachi Industrial zone, 10 percent from SITE, 6 percent from assorted consumers, 37 percent from bulk consumers, 3 percent from Cattle Colony, 24 percent from Landhi Industrial Estate, 7 percent from federal, provincial and civic bodies and zero percent from 67 wings of defunct City District Government Karachi.

The major defaulters include departments of Government of Pakistan, Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim Authority, Karachi and Clifton Cantonment Boards, Malir Cantonment Board, Export Processing Zone, House Building Finance Corporation, National Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan Stock Exchange, Customs Sports Complex F B Area block- 15, State Life Insurance Corporation, commercial banks, Grand Leisure Corporation (Pvt) Limited, Sindh Government Departments, Governor House, Chief Minister House, Sindh Industrial Trading Estate Limited, District Jail Malir, District Council Karachi, Gharo Village, Bilal Nagar Dhabeji, Union Council Jangshani, Deh Khakharo Poultry State and Poultry Estate Deh Taiser, Ralli Bros Limited, Premier Insurance Company, Alladin Park and Shopping Mall, New Broad Casting House and others private enterprises and domestic consumers.

Published in Daily Times, December 8^th 2017.