Yet another scorching summer has descended on Karachiites whose woes have been aggravated by a dire water crisis. Areas connected to piped water supply are experiencing long, unbearable gaps in the release of the required quantities. Water tankers are doing roaring business.

The row between the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board and K-Electric over the settlement of power bills has exacerbated the crisis. The lack of capacity, foresight and planning by the KWSB and Sindh government has been thoroughly exposed. Now that the crisis has risen to such worrying levels, piecemeal attempts are being made to address it. What needs to be done is to review issues related to water supply in the light of overall city planning, development and management.

The bulk of Karachi’s water comes through a massive conveyance system from the Indus/Kalri (Keenjhar) source, more than 125km away from the city. The rain-dependent Hub source adds far less than its designed capacity of 100 million gallons per day. Sindh officials say the present demand stands at 1,000mgd as against an aggregated supply of 544mgd, which keeps fluctuating. A mega project — K4 — is being planned for adding 260mgd to the city from the Indus source by 2020.

Much of the underground infrastructure of water supply has already crossed its design life. Its operational capacity is decreasing. There exist large-scale leakages at different stages of the supply system. Water leakages exist in bulk supply lines, secondary and also tertiary lines. According to a former KWSB managing director, total water losses amount to 35pc. While the KWSB has initiated a few supply-loss-reduction projects, the results are yet to be seen. Water theft is also a challenge. From organised theft to petty extraction that involves breaking water lines, many types of illegal activities exist. Obviously, these practices cannot survive without the connivance of the local KWSB staff.

####A survey of Karachi’s water infrastructure is needed.

Water vending, which is a vital source of supply to many urban localities, takes many forms. At the KWSB-designated hydrants, the formally registered tanker contractors are allowed to draw water under prescribed conditions. Normally, water complaints are redressed by sending tankers on a ‘gratis’ basis to low-income settlements. The tanker operator is given the incentive to sell half of the water quota at market rates. This operation accounts for about one-tenth of the total demand.

Other than official tankers, water supply is also facilitated through illegal hydrants handled and developed by the people themselves. The quality of water is below the desirable level for consumption in this case. For example, a suburban illegal hydrant is operating in Sakran on the western fringe of Karachi. Residents of Orangi and Baldia have to rely on this source due to unavailability of water from city hydrants. However, this water is unfit for drinking.

Thus water is drawn over the quota by those users who are at an advantage in terms of location. While installation of suction pumps is illegal, the issue is not dealt with by the authorities concerned. And bottled water supply in multiple formats is another beneficiary of the breakdown of supply. This multimillion-rupee enterprise is subjected to hardly any regulatory control.

There are several matters which should be addressed without further delay. A comprehensive survey must be carried out of the entire underground and on-ground water infrastructure. This survey should be devised to inform people about the status of the infrastructure, its performance, capacity and defects. It can be organised at the level of union councils and towns to ensure effective coverage.

On the basis of this study, development projects can be prepared in an integrated manner. The planning of such projects must also take into account serious issues related to changing land use, densities and occupancy profiles. The issue of hydrants must be revisited. An analysis based on need may be carried out at the town level to outline comparisons between piped and non-piped supply. Such a study can generate a list of requirements for upgrading and enhancing the piped network, as well as make a case, or otherwise, for the existence of hydrants. If hydrants are to continue, they must be located in a way that reduces transportation costs in each town.

The illegal hydrants must be sealed and a strict check kept on their activities. Water quality checks are also vital — and should be regularly carried out by the KWSB to confirm that all contaminants are removed effectively. And of course, the government must consider the creation of an urban water regulatory authority to deal with all forms of water supply. This would go a long way in helping safeguard the interests of the consumers.

The writer is chairman, Department of Architecture and Planning, NED University, Karachi. He is author of Water Supply in Karachi: Issues and Prospects.

Published in Dawn, May 12th, 2015

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