The city of Karachi is
afflicted with a disease. This disease has somehow destroyed the water supply of
Karachi city. Where once plenty of water was available for its citizens, the
city of Karachi, suddenly started facing severe water shortage since the
election last year.
The city water authorities say that they don’t have enough water to supply, but
on extra payment they are willing to supply water via tankers. The water
authorities even stopped the supply of water to the power plants of PSM and KE,
forcing these two major companies to slow down their production. Similarly many
other industries of Karachi had to pay additional amount every month to get
their water supply.
This sudden shortage of water is unexplained to most people. Currently the
Karachi Water & Sewage Board (KWSB) is blaming Karachi Electric (KE) for the
water problem, which does not make any sense especially since KWSB has not paid
their electricity dues to KE for many months.
On closer inspection one can see the resemblance of the Karachi water shortage
to the electricity shortage faced by Pakistan after 2008 election. At that time,
the country was not facing any shortfall of electricity, but after the arrival
of the new President, the country suddenly developed 12-16 hours shortfall,
which is almost half the country’s energy supply.
Even when the entire country’s population converted their 100 watt light bulbs
into 25 watt energy savers, saving more than 75,000 units of energy every hour,
totaling more than 273MW energy per anum, the country did not see any
improvement in electricity supply. And now after so many years, we have realized
that there was no shortage of capacity, but instead the thermal electricity
producers were forced to produce less energy, due to nonpayment of their dues by
the Government.
Now a similar problem in the water supply of Karachi is created to force the
poor Pakistanis to pay extra for their own basic resource. Till when will we as
Pakistani’s tolerate such cheats? Till when will we allow cheaters to steal our
resources? And till when will we allow these people to dictate us?
Maybe it is time that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the Army Chief take
special interest in the shortage of water supply in Karachi and not let these
cheaters destroy another public service institution of Pakistan, while creating
extra hardships for ordinary Pakistanis.