Daily Times

KARACHI: After its 23 hydrants in the city were reduced to six, one for which district, and their operations were outsourced last year, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) was required to make contractors paint water tankers in blue colour with ‘KWSB hydrant tanker service’ written on them in a visible place, in a bid to curb illegal hydrant operations.

Nine months have passed but the city’s water and sanitation body has yet to make much headway in this regard.

The contract signed by the KWSB with the six contractors also required the latter to make tanker owners clearly mention on the vehicles rates of 1,000, 2,000, 3,000, 5,000 and 6,000 gallons of water for commercial and residential purposes.

While the contractors have failed to implement the conditions of the agreement, the KWSB hydrant cell says that it will start taking action against tankers found in violation of the terms of the agreement fromApril 1.

Tanker owners’ associations, on their part, insist that there are thousands of tankers operational in the city, and it is logistically impossible for them to make all of them abide by the terms in such a short notice. They say they will require time to make all tankers serving the KWSB hydrants follow the requirements set out in the agreement. Huzoor Ahmad Khan, the general secretary of the Karachi Water Tanker Owners Welfare Association, tells Daily Times that around 10,000 tankers are registered with is association.

These tankers include those serving around 30 illegal hydrants in the city and its outskirts, in areas like Baldia Town, SITE, Mach Goth, Ayub Goth, Gulshan-e-Maymar, Manghopir, Dhabeji and Gharo.

Qadir, a tanker owner who has gotten his vehicles painted in accordance with the terms of the agreement, says that water stealing at hydrants will continue until meters are installed. He also alleges that prohibited bigger-sized nozzles are being used at hydrants.

Nisar Magsi, a KWSB hydrant in-charge, says that contractors have already been warned to fulfill all conditions of their agreement by March 31, 2018. The tankers that are not found in compliance with the terms of the agreement will not be allowed to fill water from KWSB hydrants.

He says out of 20,000 tankers operational in the city, around 8,000 are running their water supply through illegal hydrants.

He says that in accordance with the agreement a contractor is required to main a 45%-55% ration between trips for residential customers and for commercials customers.

The official timings of a hydrant have been set at 18 hours based on a schedule to be negotiated with respective district administration and the traffic police.

“The materials, equipment, plants and other assets arranged by contractors to run hydrant operation including surveillance cameras, monitors, water meter, standby generator should also be property installed by contractors.”

“Any person, representative of contractor found violating these conditions shall be removed instantly from hydrant and contractor shall be responsible to lodge FIR against the person. In case, contractor fails to do so, they shall be penalised with a fine of Rs100,000 on first occurrence, Rs300,000 on second instance, and termination of the contract if the practice continues.

“The contractor is bound to pay KWSB every month on the basis of total consumption (meter reading) or amount derived from total quoted amount of bid, whichever is higher.

“In case of defective or malfunctioning of water meter, a fine of Rs 100,000 is set to be imposed on contractor and monthly bill be calculated on basis of maximum meter reading.”

Water supply under this new arrangement had started from November 1, 2017, for a period of two years with a provision that the contract could be extended to another one year, depending on performance of the contractor.

It is estimated that annual revenue of the water board from the six hydrants is close to Rs.1.85 billion.

The entire cost of operation and expenses incurred on purchase of separate electric connection for hydrant operation and fee and monthly bills to K-Electric are to be borne by contractors.

According to the KWSB’s agreement, the contractors are responsible for all liabilities in case of accidents or damage caused to properties including loss of life of any third party or employees of KWSB or contractor’s employee during term of contract agreement.

Published in Daily Times, March 30^th 2018.