DADU: More than 30 unauthorised hydrants and water pumping machines along Jamshoro and Kotri stretch of Kalri-Baghar feeder, a vital source of water supply for Keenjhar Lake and Karachi, are pilfering millions of gallons of water daily, causing significant decline in both quantity and quality of water for the areas the commodity is originally destined for.

Sources in the irrigation department told Dawn on Wednesday that the hydrants were operated by very influential persons, hence little had been done so far stem the theft.

The practice had been going on unabated for 15 years while officials concerned of both Jamshoro district administration and the irrigation department looked the other way.

Tariq Asad Ursani, Executive Engineer of Kotri Barrage, said that the feeder, originating from the barrage, had original discharge capacity of 9,000 cusecs and currently, 7,200 cusecs were being released as per requirement to cater for water supply needs of Keenjhar Lake and Karachi.

Imran Aziz Tunio, a hydrologist, revealed the alarming scale of water theft, with millions of gallons vanishing daily.

The illicit activity not only diminished quality and quantity of the water supplied to various areas in Jamshoro district but also hampered recovery of water utility charges, witnessing 80 per cent decline, he said.

He lamented lack of maintenance and regulation of water resources, attributing it to increased water contamination, mismanaged sewage systems, and poor planning. This had resulted in outbreak of diseases such as pink eye, typhoid, malaria, and diarrhea, he said.

Syed Adeel Shah, Executive Engineer of the Kalri Baghar irrigation division, said that nine of the hydrants had an agreement with the department for running operations for a period of three years. Their tenure ended in 2022 and they were subsequently issued notices asking them to halt water extraction, he said.

He said that letters were also dispatched to the deputy commissioner of Jamshoro and Rangers officials to help stopping water theft by these hydrants. These nine hydrants alone were siphoning off 400,000 to 500,000 gallons of water daily, he said.

Mohammad Anwar Samoo, a grower, disclosed that 50 illegal hydrants had sprung up in Jamshoro and 30 had been operating in Kotri along the feeder.

Each of the hydrant stole a staggering 100,000 gallons water in 24 hours, which was peddled by tanker mafia operating in both Jamshoro and Kotri, he said.

Ahmed Bux Brohi, a resident of Khuda Ji Basti, said that that officials of local police and district administration were hand in glove with tanker mafia in the large scale theft.

A tanker of water was supplied at rates ranging from Rs10,000 to Rs12,000, he said.

Akram Memon, a water tanker driver, said that 500 tankers supplied water to Jamshoro and Kotri town daily.

He alleged that local police in Jamshoro demanded Rs500 per tanker while Rs500 were collected by district administration as price for shielding this illicit practice.

As a consequence of rampant water theft from the feeder, Karachi and Keenjhar Lake face shortfall in overall water supply.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2023