Daily Times

KARACHI: The Sindh Local Government Department LGD has issued a notice to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) for immediate submission of details regarding irregularities in water tanker supply and stuck up dues worth millions of rupees.

Ramzan Awan, secretary LGD vide letter LG(So-VII)/4-2/KWSB/2017 to KWSB has asked to furnish full details about matter in question for further action and reply would also send to Jam Khan Shoro, LG minister and Sindh chief secretary.

In a written complaint lodged by Mohsin Raza, General Secretary Peoples Labour Union (PLU) KWSB through a letter PLU/KW&SB/2017/01/02, January 2017, to Ramzan has given details about the wrong doings in the KWSB in this regard.

Copies of this letter have also been sent to chairman, deputy managing director (Technical Services) and deputy managing director (Finance) of KWSB.

The objective of this letter is to highlight water woes in Karachi and suggest measures to overcome the current water crisis. At present, over thousands of tankers have put strain on roads, bridges, resulting in traffic congestion and terrorize masses. The menace of water hydrants has eaten up the financial resources of KWSB.

KWSB recovers revenues from only 20 percent registered consumers, leading to constant operating shortfalls. New policies to charge users more appropriately should have been adopted to face an uphill battle in implementation by local governments, the letter described.

The letter highlighting a number of misdoings said that KWSB seems to be struggling to quench the thirst of a thriving city of 2.5 million people. The artificial shortage of water is compelling the people of the city to purchase water tankers from tanker mafia at higher prices, despite the fact that they are paying water and sewerage bills regularly.

On the one hand, no new project has been completed and thus residents are forced to buy water from what they call the ‘water tanker mafia’, the letter added. Karachi has now only six hydrants, which were 23 in the past at different locations. Over 60 illegal hydrants are being run in the city. The water leakage from pipelines takes place around the clock.

Interestingly, these hydrants had a fixed timing but now the existing six hydrants are operating round the clock.

It should be noted that in the recent past around 72 such illegal hydrants in the city had been demolished.

Since 2009, the billing pattern had been changed thrice at different occasions without any lawful authority and valid reasons. Arrears amounting to Rs500 million are not reflected in the current bills.

The bills generated for National Logistic Cell do not include electricity charges.

The performance of the Meter Division is highly questionable and dubious. Most of the installed meters are non-functional intentionally and purposefully.

The same meter division team is now advocating the outsourcing of the billing system just to cover up their misdeeds, incompetence and corruption.

Although, during proceedings of a case, the secretary local government admitted in the Sindh High Court that bogus bills were generated, but KWSB has not initiated any inquiry against the concerned officials.

On an average, a tanker is filled up six times a day. As much as 25 percent of the water goes waste while filling up the tankers.

At times, illegal hydrants are shut down by the city officials only to reopen a week later. And no action is taken against those involved in this illegal act. Getting water through tankers is no longer an option used in case of emergencies.

The city’s water board owes over Rs 52 million to international donors. It is inevitable that dishonest and unscrupulous elements and profiteers see this shortage as a window of opportunity to make a quick buck.

The complainant said that we have been raising this issue at various forums since 2011 when rate was only Rs 73 per 1,000 gallon from these hydrants.

Representatives of tankers contractors during a press conference at the Karachi Press Club on September 12, 2012 said that KWSB could collect around Rs 500 million annually.

Now the rate is almost Rs 362 per 1,000 gallon and the expected annual income would be around Rs 1.7 billion.

He suggested that the KWSB administration should carry out a forensic audit of the Meter Division and hydrants cell and take stern action against all concerns including influential using water free-of-cost at their agriculture land, fish farms, water parks and industries.