Mustafa Kamal initiates decisive campaign against illegal hydrants

By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: Water theft has now become a multi-million dollar business in Karachi and despite strenuous measures for the elimination of the business; the members of the said business are on the rise day after day. The group is operating fearlessly in various towns’ precincts with the involvement of police, town municipal administrations, Water Tankers owners, and hooligans with support of the influential people.

The City District Government Karachi has spent billions of rupees on laying water and sewerage infrastructure so that the water supply to citizens at their doorsteps was ensured. However, regular water supply to a number of main city areas such as North Nazimabad, Gulshan-e Iqbal Gulistan-e Jauhar, and many others is being jeopardized and unofficial water holidays are being imposed on these areas. This anomaly is just due to the menace of high-rated income through sale of potable water to the residents of such localities.

The influential mafia has established and fearlessly operated illegal water hydrants in certain areas while the TMA’s and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) personnel have been supporting the mafia for their share, Daily Times has learnt.

A number of operators of water tanker service in city have also conveyed to the Daily Times that certain members of the TMA especially of Gadap Town, Korangi Town and Landhi Town were extorting hefty money from the operators of the illegal hydrants. They also claimed that these TMAs have raised monthly fee up to Rs 200,000 per hydrant.

It had left no other choice to the city nazim Mustafa Kamal to gear up monitoring and pave ways to impede the mafia’s maneuovers so in early days of the current year, city nazim had by an order No Secy/City Nazim/145/2009 dated: 11.2.2009 imposed section 144 of Cr. PC for 7 days banning all types of operations pertaining to water hydrants falling within the precincts of the CDGK.

Kamal in that order had explained the reasons for the imposition of section 144 as he said that the operators of illegal water hydrants had tampered KW&SB’s key water lines to steal water and it has caused irreparable losses to the CDGK.

KW&SB additional Chairman Muhammad Moeen Khan had in compliance to the directives of the city nazim had launched a campaign to disconnect illegal water hydrants connections in Manghopir area. As a result of the campaign, several illegal water hydrants including Raees Mianwali hydrant with 2-inch diameter one illegal connection, M Jan Afridi hydrant with 2-inch diameter five illegal connections, M Mushtaque hydrant with 2-inch diameter five illegal connections and Mashallah hydrant with 2-inch diameter three illegal connections were disconnected.

Once again in pursuance to recent reports of artificial water paucity that the hydrant mafia has created in city, the City has issued serious warnings to them asking them to stop all illegal hydrants or else they should be ready for the consequences for sabotaging the water and sewerage infrastructure and posing water paucity threats to the peaceful citizens. Meanwhile, the city nazim has also launched a decisive campaign for the complete eradication of such illegal hydrants in city.

Kalam while talking about the situation that has resulted thus said that there was no genuine water shortage situation in city except loss of heavy amounts of water through illegally tampered water lines by the mafia.

KW&SB had taken action many a times and now it has been decided to completely close down all such illegal hydrants running in the city, said Kamal while he added that the owners and patrons of these illegal hydrants have once again been given an opportunity to wrap up their illegal businesses without waste of time.

On Saturday, the KW&SB has shut illegal water hydrants in Chakra Goth within the limits of Korangi Town and disconnected 10 illegal water connections used to supply water to 6 illegal hydrants while 17 filling points were also demolished and 4 water tankers were also seized. Around 15 persons have been held and FIR has been registered against them.

KWSB has also disconnected 3 connections of 4-inch diameter were disconnected and 4 filling points also demolished at Qaiser Baloch hydrant while 2 connection of 4-inch diameter at Asghar Baloch hydrant were also disconnected and 4 filling points at Mustafa Memon hydrant and demolished 2 filling points there while a 2 inch diameter connection at Jat hydrant was also disconnected and 3 filling points were demolished.

Another hydrant in the Chakra Goth named Shahid hydrant was also closed down by the KW&SB as they disconnected a connection of 3 inch diameter and demolished 2 filling points while the team also disconnected 2 connection of 3 inch diameter at the S.M Tariq (Agha Ice) Hydrant and also demolished 2 filling points.

These illegal hydrants at Chakra Goth were using illegal connections from 66-inch diameter Korangi main line and 33-inch diameter Korangi main bulk supply line.

It is pertinent to mention that the City Mayor has convened special meetings with CDGK and KW&SB high-ups on consecutive days to resolve issue of illegal hydrants, paucity of water and water Tanker mafia. It is equally noteworthy that Kamal has after publication of news in Daily Times taken serious notice of water paucity in certain areas in city due to more than 200 illegal water hydrants operating with the assistance of the insiders of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), police of the area concerned and town municipal administration staffers of areas that have been facing dire water shortage.