Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that the water shortage in the city is not so acute as is being propagated, but the actual problem is 70 to 80 years old distribution network. He issues these directives while presiding over a high-power follow-up meeting for provision of safe drinking water in the province here at the CM House.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, Manzoor Wassan, Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Jam Khan Shoro, Fayaz Butt, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Advocate General Zamir Ghumro, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, World Bank representatives, secretaries of health, industries, PHEE, energy, chief engineers of different departments, divisional commissioners and others.
The chief minister said that the water shortage in the city is not so acute as being propagated by water board. The bureaucracy of water board and the local government has been misguiding the politicians from last many years and the politicians believed in their miscalculations.
"I am a professional engineer, you cannot misguide me, and he told the water board and said that the actual problem is inefficient distribution system which the water board has been concealing under the wrap of water shortage. He added, "The actual problem is rusted, defective, old and contaminated distribution network. On this, Minister Local Government Jam Khan Shoro said that there is 1200km long water supply network in the city. Its replacement would cost around Rs 200 billion.
The chief minister said that according to new census, the population of the city is 16 million. As per water board standard the water requirement is 50G per person per day (50g/capita/day. If 16 million population is multiplied with 50g/capita/day, the water requirement of the city would come to 800 MGD, he worked out and went on saying at present Karachi receives 650 MGD, including 550 MGD from Kinjhar and 100 MGD from Hub. By the end of 2018 K-IV would be providing 260 MGD plus 65 MGD from another small scheme. It would be 325 MGD.
If the present available 650 MGD and 325 MGD of K-IV and another small scheme are combined together the available water in the city would be 975 MGD against the requirement of 800 MGD. This water would be enough for another three to four years, he said. He directed the local government minister to prepare a plan to replace the old distribution system.
"I would suggest you to collect area-wise data of the water supply lines laid there and then start replacing the oldest ones in the first phase and then go on moving them in phases," he said and added that there are the old areas where water distribution pipelines were laid about 60 to 70 year ago and some are said to be around 100 years old. He went on saying, he was ready to provide funds whatever the project would cost.
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