It seems that corruption and negligence has become the 'hallmark' of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB), as corrupt employees of the water utility are hell bent upon diminishing serious efforts of Pak Oasis - a company that installed about 18 Reverse Osmosis (RO) in the city with financial support of the Sindh government.
On Thursday, this correspondent accompanied by Brigadier Masood Ahmed Khan (Retd), Senior Director Pak Oasis and others, took a boat ride from Kemari jetty to visit the RO plant installed at Baba Island. Baba is a small island adjacent to Bhitt and Manora islands. The total population of the Baba Island is 14000, predominately Sindhi speaking community.
The former PPP government had set up 18 plants including 12 in Keamari and six in Lyari in order to cater the need of clean and safe drinking water of the areas residents, but residents complained KWSB did not come up to the mark to facilitate the citizens. Drinking water was a major issue of the residents of the tiny island. The RO plants installed there not only resolved the issue but also ensured supply of safe and clean drinking water to the residents, resulting in cut in water-borne diseases.
"Thanks to Pak Oasis for providing safe and clean drinking to the islanders," said Dr Mohammad Yousuf, former UC Nazim of the area. The severity of the water issue in the area could be gauged from the fact that the people of island, comprising some 1200 houses, had to wait for their turn to receive drinking water for three months before the RO plant was made operational at its full capacity.
"This shows the incompetence of the KWSB that people were left with no other choice but to wait for 90 days or purchase water gallons at exorbitant rates," said Dr Yousuf, who is also the President of Pakistan Fishermen Union. The KWSB had already alarmed the consumers of an acute water shortage, as water level at Hub Dam had dropped to dead level. "In such a situation, the RO plants have gained more significance to satisfy the public needs of clean and safe drinking water," a senior official of the Pak Oasis said.
Dr Yousuf said that installation of RO plant in the vicinity has brought a sigh of relief for the people. "People are happy with Pak Oasis that it has been providing safe and clean drinking water for the last three months," he added. Reverse Osmosis plants (water desalination plants) are new and specialised technology to turn the brackish water in to sweat water. But in the case of Baba Island, Pak Oasis has moved one step ahead and taking water directly from the sea and turning it into clean and safe drinking water through RO plant that has a capacity to process 0.75 million gallons per day (mgd).
During the visit, the scribe also learnt that the efforts of Pak Oasis are deliberately being downplayed by KWSB's staff in connivance with some influential persons because they are not in favour this project due to political rivalries.
"KWSB's staff has intentionally damaged the pipelines just to gain their vested interests. They (staff members) have manipulated the distribution system with the help of area's goons so that people could not get clean and safe drinking water timely through the RO plant," an islander alleged. He said that KWSB has suffered loss of million of rupees due to manipulation in water distribution system.
During the tenure of formers City Nazim Mustafa Kamal, KWSB had claimed to have developed infrastructure for water supply at a cost Rs 380 million in four islands including Baba, Bhitt and two others. But the fact of the matter is that though water pipeline were laid down but the islanders did not get enough water through this multi-million project. "Former Mayor Abdul Sattar Afghani built a 75000 gallons capacity tank during his tenure that was later repaired under development plan of the last city government," Dr Yousuf told Business Recorder. He said KWSB's power generators and pumping machines are also out of order and not being repaired by the water utility.
Area people have also complained that KWSB staff also demand bribe from them for releasing water supply from the main tank. Chief Operating Officer Pak Oasis Irshad Hussain said that the firm had also installed 60 RO plants in district Tharparkar while 25 plants were operational in Badin for the last two years. "Pak Oasis believes that city's water shortage could be dealt through mega projects of RO plants," he added. The RO technology is most suitable for the areas where water is most scare, as the underground water can be pumped out and turned into sweat and clean and safe water through the RO plants.
He said that the RO technology can also help address the water shortage issue in Karachi especially in tale areas, where water shortage is severe, as the underground brackish water could be treated through RO plants and turned into sweat and safe drinking water.