KARACHI: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board on Wednesday warned of a severe water shortage in the city after Feb 28.
Giving a briefing at the Hub dam, KWSB managing director Qutubuddin Sheikh said that due to a lack of rainfall in Sindh and Balochistan, a severe water shortage had occurred at the Hub dam.
He said that a similar situation occurred almost 12 years back in the city when the Hub dam dried up.
Consumption of water had also risen in the city due to an increase in the population.
He said almost 100 million gallons of water per day was supplied to districts west and central of the city through the dam but after this shortage, only 70mgd water would be supplied through the NEK pumping station from the alternative source of the Indus River.
He said other parts of the city would also face water shortage. `We will supply water on alternate days to different districts of the city so that each district can get water three days a week,` he said.
A deputy director of the Water and Power Development Authority Mohammad Ehteshamul Haq told themedia that the maximum reservoir level at the Hub dam was 346 points and its dead storage level was 276.25 points.
He said the dam could reach its dead storage level after Feb 28.
KWSB vice chairman Sajid Jokhio said the government was trying to eliminate illegal hydrants from the city. `We have demolished several hydrants in the city while several others were present in district west,` he said.
Mr Jokhio was of the opinion that no action could be taken against owners of `illegal` hydrants as there was no legislation against that offence. He said water supply on alternate days to each district would be carried out without any discrimination and the government would ensure that each district got supply on its turn.
He said six new small dams were built near the Hub dam but in the absence of rains they had been of no use.
Deputy managing director (technical) Najmi Alam Siddique urged the KElectric and the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited to stop electricity and gas load-shedding at the pumping stations to ensure smooth supply of water to the city.-PPI
