KARACHI, May 24: Major power breakdowns played havoc with the city’s water distribution system, leaving various parts of the city dry in the current hot and sultry weather.

Pumping of water to various parts of the city was badly disrupted on Tuesday and Wednesday owing to frequent power failures, which kept recurring at local pumping stations from Tuesday night to Wednesday evening.

The localities, which either went without water or received scant supply in the wake of power breakdowns included the PECHS blocks 2 and 6, KDA Scheme-I, the Karachi Administrative Cooperative Housing Society, Bangalore Town, Dhoraji, Faran Cooperative Housing Society, Kokan Cooperative Housing Society, Adamjee Nagar, Jinnah Cooperative Housing Society, Al-Hamra cooperative housing society, Karnali Basti, Nishtar Basti, Clifton’s blocks 2, 5 and 6, different parts of Lyari, Behar Colony, Ranchore Lines, Ramswami, Lea Market, Kharadar, Mithadar, Pakistan Chowk, Haquani Chowk, Mehmoodabad No 5, several blocks of Gulshan-i-Iqbal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar, parts of Shah Faisal Colony, Landhi, Korangi, Malir and Bin Qasim towns.

Attributing the water shortage to frequent power failures, sources in the KWSB said that the issue’s seriousness could be gauged from the fact that even the LSR (Low Supply Reservoir), which was located just behind the Civic Centre, and from where water was supplied to almost the entire Society area, KDA Scheme-I and parts of Gulshan-i-Iqbal, suffered two power breakdowns of longer duration after Tuesday midnight and one on Wednesday evening.

When the KWSB’s Chief Engineer (Zone-II), Najme Alam Siddiqui, was contacted to know the causes of short supply of water from the LSR, he said: “We are unable to run all motors installed there owing to persisting low voltage problem. It is for the last eight days that the LSR is being supplied only 340 volts as against 440 volts.”

Similarly, the pumping of water also disrupted badly on Tuesday-Wednesday night in the wake of power failures from several other pumping stations such as Al-Hilal Society’s pumping station, Lyari PS, Behar Colony PS, Lea Market PS, Jaffar Fuddoo PS and Dhoraji PS.

People residing in multi-storeyed apartment buildings complained that they could not pump water to their overhead tanks despite having water in their underground tanks due to power breakdowns.

Meanwhile, taking undue advantage of water shortage, private tankers did a roaring business in the water-starved localities, charging exorbitant rates from people.

WATER CLOSURE: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board spokesman on Wednesday said that a 66-inch diameter water pipeline from NEK Reservoir would be closed for valve fitting for 36 hours from Friday morning, adds PPI.