Water shortage

Your editorial of Sunday, 1 May, 2005, highlighting the problems of short supply of water and unjustified taxation by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board commonly faced by the consumers in Karachi and Hyderabad, is very appropriately worded, which focuses not only the defective policies, faulty system and mismanagement of KW&SB but also their advisable solutions. It really speaks of a genuine cause for which all affected consumers are grateful to you. The main corruption lies in honest and equal water distribution from water storage, which entirely revolves around the Chief Engineer (W/D) KW&SB and his team of engineers.
In fact some areas of Karachi are getting water supply on daily basis while many areas specially Gulistan-i-Jauhar get on 2-8 days depriving water on the rest days of the week. While emphasising on quantity, the quality of water under supply, is also highly contaminated and at several places, even water meant for household use, is mixed up with sewerage water due to junked leakage of both pipelines laid underground together. This real picture of KW&SB is visible all around the city.
Currently KW&SB after having failed to make recoveries of huge arrears from defaulters, has launched an operation of water disconnection through out Karachi, adding further crisis to the already existing 'water scarcity' and harassment to the regular tax payers living in apartments of high-rise buildings where water is supplied by 4-5 bulk-connections to the entire project housing residency of both 'non-defaulters' and a handful of defaulters.
While water disconnection of defaulters is a warranted action but at the same time KW&SB must realistically ensure water supply to all consumers who are 'not defaulters'. In case KWSB cuts all bulk connections to high-rise residential buildings, it will deprive even 'non defaulters' of water and a punishment for an offence, not done by them. No law of Pakistan prescribes any punishment to 'non guilty' regular tax payers. But unfortunately KW&SB management does not discriminate between 'tax-evaders and tax-payers' and outright cuts bulk water-supply to all consumers residing in flats because of its own faulty system.
KW&SB must acknowledge, protect and honour all 'regular tax-payers' and ensure them water supply without interruption and prior to any bulk disconnection of water to a high-rise residential building. It must make alternate arrangements of water-supply to all consumers who are not defaulters. Any indiscriminate action of water cut to law-abiding consumers would not only be illegal, challengeable in a court of law but may also instigate tax evasion by regular payers.
It is to point out that the 'sewerage system' too for which the same KW&SB collects tax along with 'water tax' from the citizens, is also in a very deteriorating condition. Many sewerage lines are chocked to capacity and seldom cleaned, causing out break of drainage water flowing over roads and streets, creating environmental hazards for the public. This aspect also needs various remedial measures from the concerned authorities.
The Prime Minister and the Governor of Sindh are requested to take cognisance of the prevailing water and sewerage problems throughout the province, specially in Karachi, and take immediate remedial measures in the matter.