Karachi, Oct 26
Pakistan’s financial capital of Karachi, a city that caters to over 60 per cent of the country’s revenue, has been hit with a severe water crisis, leaving many neighbourhoods desiccated. The current water crisis, one of the biggest problems of Karachi, has aggravated after damage to the water infrastructure triggered blockage in supplies to various locations.
While the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) claims that the supply will be restored soon, several areas of the city are left without any water supply, giving nightmares to the citizens who are already coping up with hot and dry weather.
As per the latest reports, many areas are still waiting for the water supply to be restored.
"It has been four days that we are waiting for the water supply to get restored. The weather is also so hot and dry that my family, and several people in the neighbourhood, are dehydrated. The situation is becoming very difficult now," said a resident of Gulshan Iqbal in Karachi.
Official sources maintain that the main pipeline got damaged due to some construction work on the Red Line project at the University Road.
"The water supplies were supposed to be restored on Thursday. However, there was another leakage reported in the main pipeline, spilling out millions of gallons of water on the road. Our staff has repaired the damaged pipelines and changed the valves at three locations, while work is in progress at the fourth site," said KWSC spokesperson.
"We have also plugged two ruptures in the major pipeline near University Road, which had occurred during the construction work on the Red Line project," he added.
Meanwhile, hundreds of children across the city have fallen ill and are being treated at local hospitals for various viral diseases due to the continuing dry weather, less air pressure and the heat.
Over the past many years, thousands of people have lost their lives in Karachi due to severe heatwave and increased humidity levels.
This year, the city was in the grip of a severe heatwave, the most intense since 2015.