KARACHI: The citizens of Karachi have remained on mercy of different constituted water filter plants for consumption of clean drinking water since last 64 years. Even after such a long period, consumers have been deprived of contamination-free drinking water and even today the water supply, fit for human consumption is a far cry. In 1953, Karachi Joint Water Board was constituted to handle and execute water supply affairs of the city. Project execution was later entrusted to Karachi Development Authority (KDA) after its establishment in 1957. Accordingly in 1981, Karachi Water Management Board (KWMB) was created to readdress the situation. KWMB was assigned the responsibility for water distribution throughout the metropolitan area and was given enhanced powers of cost recovery. In 1996, a new Act called Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Act was enforced. Today KWSB is responsible for the pipeline water supply besides to manage the sewerage system in Karachi also. The filter plants in and around Karachi are Manghopir Filter Plant (built in 2003 with 14-year life), Hub Water Filter Plant (in 1984, 15-year life). North East Karachi Filter Plant (built in 1998 with 19-year life), Pipri Water Filer Plant (in 1971 with 40-year life), Pipri Water Filter Plant (JBIC-in 2006 with 11-year life), Gharo Water Filter Plant (in 1943 with 74-year life) and COD Bills Water Filter Plant was built in 1962 with 55 years of life. Two Pipri Filter Plants has been closed down because of the worst condition of machinery and gadgets for treatment of water. A team of Water Commission visited six water filter plants of KWSB in February 2017 in order to take into account the process of standard and level of water at the cleaning stage at these filter sites. The team members during the inspection of these facilities did not find any evidence supporting claims made by KWSB regarding safe drinking water. They noticed that there was no trace of 24 hours chlorination with residual doze to kill bacteria. Neither are the filtration beds working properly nor were the Clarifiers operational. The chlorination tanks seemed rusty and appeared to be non operational for a long time. No record of purchasing chlorination was produced by KWSB officials at any of filter plants, nor was any confirmed figure of quantity of chlorination being mixed through chlorinators presented. At North East Karachi filter plant, chlorination tank was found leaking to such an extent that it was even impossible to stand there for a minute, team members observed. It was noted that staff was ignorant of importance of E-coli test, the only criteria to determine existence of bacteria in the water. There were no any account/bills found, paid against expenses of laboratory to confirm ongoing process of tests on water-samples. There was no mechanism to check or mark the presence of the staff posted at each laboratory. Nothing was available to indicate that the laboratories had any facility to determine presence of heavy metals. No record was presented either to show that reports of any so-called tests were ever submitted to the high-ups for cross- check, and/or if ever any wrong in the water was detected and removed. The official in-charge there admitted that they were in dormant for a long time and in this facility attention was mainly paid on quantity of water and not its quality. None of the officials of KWSB including Asadullah Khan, DMD Technical Services could explain that with leaked tanks to this extent, how was it possible to adopt the procedure of chlorinating water . The chlorinators although were shown to be functioning at COD Filter Plant, but no record of monitoring due dose of chlorination of water or any such statistics was produced nor was it informed if there was any such mechanism in place. Officials admitted that chlorination was not the priority of KWSB. The water-testing laboratory, required to regularly monitor water quality, on each filter plant was though available but was found lying dysfunctional. No record of testing turbidly, PH, Total Dissolved soil (TDS), coli form, chlorides, colour, taste and E-coli etc-the parameters for determining drink ability of water, was available. At Pipri Filter Plant, chlorination system of reservoir, from where water is finally supplied to the people after filtration, was found lying abandoned and it was also admitted by the officials of KWSB that the reservoir had never been cleaned. In central laboratory at COD Filter Plant, although some activity related to testing was witnessed but that was mainly due to said visit. There, a person without requisite experience was working as chief chemist on OPS basis. The Clarifiers at all the filter plants, which are acting as circular sedimentation tanks, were found entirely non-functional with bushes sprouting disorderly in and around them and around influent wells, effluent weir plates and sludge withdrawal pipes. It was admitted by KWSB officials that for the last many years, Clarifiers were lying dysfunctional. At Manghopir Filter Plant one out of two chlorinators was found non-functional. Suleman Chandio, former Managing Direstor KWSB said to be amicus curia, was very terrible because in such a way 70 percent of silt cannot be removed. The inspection of these filter plants demonstrated clearly that water was merely being routed through them with no chlorination and inadequate filtration. As no creditable evidence of complete doze of chlorination of water was traced in any of filter plants, nor were such statistics produced, it is safe to say that water full of all contamination that includes turbidity, colour, odor and taste, TDS, hardness, calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, nitrate and iron etc in high volume is being supplied to the people of Karachi.