The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has decided to start stern campaign from Monday (today) against 183 industrial units to recover about Rs 68.892 million pending water charges.
Official sources in KWSB told Business Recorder on Saturday that the board earlier took action against these industrial units to recover water charges, pending over last several years but failed to achieve fruitful results.
Explaining details, they said that water supply to defaulter units had already been cut by board aimed at putting pressure on them for clearing outstanding water charges.
Instead of contacting the board to pay outstanding dues for restoring their water supply, defaulter units had established illegal water connections from main supply lines.
To a question, they confessed that the board has failed to recover outstanding water charges from them because some KWSB officials patronised defaulter units by providing them illegal water connections from main water supply line causing huge losses to board.
According to the list of defaulter departments prepared by KWSB consisting of 183 departments, the outstanding amount against Swana & Co is the highest, amounting to Rs 2.488 million.
Faizullah & Co stands as the second highest with outstanding dues of Rs 2.323 million and Humera Industry has been declared as third highest defaulter owing Rs 2.18 million.
However, some other major defaulters are Muhammad & Co, Asghar Enterprise, Mehmood Rangoonwala & Co and Zafarullah Khan & Co have an outstanding balance of Rs 1.26 million, 1.18 million and 2.88 million, 0.4 million, respectively.
Official sources said that it was very difficult to identify illegal water connection without stopping water supply from main water supply line and if board stopped water supply to mark illegal joints, all industrial units would suffer for several days.
Therefore, decision has been taken in a high level meeting to install new water lines in all three industrial zones including F.B area, North Karachi and Landhi, with the view to eradicate untraceable illegal water connection besides recovering pending water dues from defaulter units.
Officials said that KWSB has successfully installed new water supply lines at F.B Area and North Karachi industrial areas initially, providing water connection to those units who regularly pay water dues.
They said that board had detected 68 defaulter units at F.B Industrial area and 115 units in North Karachi industrial zone. They apprised that all industrial units had earlier been informed to get water connection from newly installed water supply line however water supply from old main line would be disconnected from February 25.
"Board has established mobile offices at both industrial areas aimed to facilitate commercial units with one window operation where connections are being provided within few hours," they concluded.
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