The office-bearers of SITE Association of Industry have expressed their anguish and dismay over the false and misleading reports in the media about purported theft of KW&SB water by the industries.
The fact remains that despite being the largest contributor to national revenue and the GDP, the industries of SITE are the major victim of water mafia in Karachi. The SITE industries have got nothing to do with the theft of water in Karachi. Rather, due to the utter negligence and failure of KW&SB to provide even the bare minimum of the required water, they have to purchase it at very heavy cost through other sources. As against the estimated minimum requirement of 40 MGD water in SITE Area in 2013, the KW&SB had pledged to provide 5 MGD water to the SITE area. But unfortunately, due to vested interests of water mafia, only one MGD is being provided. In order to maintain its lifeline, industries are forced to buy this deficient water at much higher rates from other sources being controlled by water mafia. This exploitation of the most productive segment of National Revenue is being executed systematically at the behest of masters of water mafia. Now once the representatives of the industry have become vocal against this criminal exploitation and have demanded the Sindh Government of their due share, they are being accused of becoming cause of water theft which is very shameful and unjust.
This point was raised before the Minister of Industry Mohammed Ali Malkani on his visit to SITE Association of Industry on 12th July 2016. He had promised to raise this genuine demand at all forums.
To preempt this, water mafia working under the umbrella of many at the helm of affairs, has maneuvered to thwart this move by the industry under the pretext of Supreme Court's ruling against illegal hydrants, the industries have nothing to do with.
Not even a single hydrant is located in the SITE area. All such Hydrants have been operating under the umbrella of CDGK and KW&SB. If any of these private vendors steel the KW&SB water, he must be caught and punished. How can industries be blamed for this. They purchase Sub-Soil water through lines laid by the private suppliers perforce to meet the deficiency created by KW&SB.
The SITE Association of Industry has offered many times to all the stakeholders to sit together in order to resolve this matter amicably, but so far no to avail. The K-4 and similar projects have met their fate at hands of Water Mafia despite immense cries by the masses. -PR
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