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KARACHI, May 27 (APP):Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday chaired a session of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Council to discuss in detail the improvement of the water supply and drainage systems, at the City Council Hall in the KMC headquarters here.
Members from all political parties expressed their views during the session.
On the occasion the Mayor Karachi said that joint action would be taken against water theft. He emphasized the need to move forward with consensus to resolve the city’s water supply issues.
The mayor announced strict monitoring of all water hydrant nozzles, including obtaining written affidavits from the responsible officers.
He also announced the formation of a committee comprising members from both the government and opposition to oversee the hydrant issues.
The Mayor Karachi further stated that the PC-I for the K-III overground pipeline for Lyari is being revised in the new fiscal budget.
He said that significant water theft had been occurring from the K-III line designated for Lyari, and now it will be elevated to prevent further theft.
He expressed gratitude to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto for facilitating a Rs. 12 billion grant from the Sindh government, which will be used to construct the Hub Canal. This will provide an additional 40 million gallons of water daily and allow more efficient distribution of K-III water to other areas.
He also mentioned that funding had been approved to exempt the water supply and drainage pumping stations in Lyari and Saddar Town from power outages.
The Mayor pointed out that Karachi Water Corporation has only 1.4 million registered consumers, while K-Electric serves 3.8 million. Yet, bills are issued to only 500,000 users, and even fewer actually pay.
Since he assumed office, the Water Board’s revenue has increased from Rs. 1.1 billion to Rs. 1.8 billion, but this amount is spent on maintenance, the mayor noted.
Although the CEO and COO of the Water Corporation were expected to attend the session, they could not participate due to a Sindh High Court order revoking their appointments. Nonetheless, the session was not canceled and continued.
Advisor Najmi Alam suggested dividing the Water Corporation into three zones and appointing relevant officers to improve performance.
He noted that the corporation collects only Rs 600 million in revenue, with billing contributing very little. To run the organization effectively, the tax net must be expanded.
He emphasized that informal settlements (Katchi abadis), many of which have been granted leases, should also be billed at normal rates since a large portion of Karachi’s water is consumed in these areas. In some western zones, people are illegally installing pipelines and charging for water.
During the session, Zubeda Iqbal, Chairperson of UC-6 Manghopir Town, demanded that solar panels be installed at pumping stations to ensure water supply during power outages. She also thanked the mayor for initiating water supply work in Yusuf Goth. The session was then adjourned until the next Friday.