KWSB: Heavy particle detaining gauzes at trunk lines at Gharo missing

December 20,2010
By Irfan Aligi

KARACHI: Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has overlooked repair and maintenance and replacement of heavy particle-stopper gauze at the starting point of bulk water supply lines at Gharo and ahead.

According to sources, heavy metallic gauzes were installed at the opening of bulk water supply lines in order to check passage of heavy particles, dead animals and birds, used and empty cans, woods, grass and other raw material.

These heavy metallic gauzes get destroyed frequently due to formation of rust and other reasons for the decaying of these gauzes.

However, recent cases of decaying of these heavy metallic gauzes have been lacking appropriate replacement with newer ones. The KWSB Chief Engineer Bulk has verbally instructed KWSB lower cadre personnel to perform the operation manually with use of long forks, which is doubtful in a manner that manuel performances in this regard could not ensure 100 percent safety as compared to mechanical arrangements and that with use of gauzes.

A well-placed KWSB officer at Gharo Pumping Station told daily Times that removal of such gauzes were not creating any threat to human consumers of KWSB water because the residents have been supplied water after proper filtration at COD and NEK.

The officer claimed that in case the gauzes were damaged, these were repaired immediately as the KWSB personnel were having the facility of welding components at the site.

However, another well-informed officer claimed that the bulk water trunk lines were without essential gauzes and the officers concerned had embezzled the funds released for the repair and maintenance and replacement of heavy particle detaining sieves.