Karachi An acute shortage of water, both in domestic and industrial sectors, has hit Pakistan's financial capital hard as water as both power and water companies are locked in a battle over arrears which run into billions of rupees.
The water supply to the city, which has a population of more than 18 million people, was badly hampered after Karachi hit Supply Company (KESC) disconnected or partially shut electricity supplies to the key water pumping stations of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).
The city has already been enduring long hours of power outages as the mercury touches 40 degree Celsius ahead of the peak summer season. Disruption in the water supply adds to the burden of the citizens who are already deprived of basic amenities.
"It seems there is no one to govern the city or the country," cried an 80-year Fareed Ullah, a pensioner in Qayyumabad town of the city.
"Every institution and organisation behaves like a king and we are at their mercy," he rhetorically said.
Half a dozen trade and industrial associations have appealed to the country's top powers to intervene and help improve the worsening situation.
Last resort
A KESC spokesman said that the utility company was compelled to conduct load shedding as a last resort because of the default in payments.
"The [water] pumping stations had been exempted from load shedding a for long time, but we now have to do that as the KWSB has failed to comply with the court order to pay us," Adil Murtaza of the KESC said.
KESC said KWSB owed Rs17 billion in arrears and the Sindh High Court last month ordered the KWSB to deposit about five billion rupees with court as guarantee money.
The industrialist said that if timely action was not taken it would lead to the shutting down of the industries in Karachi.
Probe
"Our industrial estate has more than 4,500 industries where more tha half a million skilled and unskilled workers are employed," said Tareq Malek, vice-president of Korangi Association of Trade and Industry.
The provincial government appointed a deputy commissioner of its southern district to probe into the matter and come up with the fact that who is responsible for the chaos.
