Karachi: As the holy month of Ramadan starts, Karachi, Pakistan’s biggest city, is suffering from a terrible water scarcity.
Although the pipeline repair job has been finished, water distribution is still interrupted in many areas of the city, therefore distressing the people.
The crisis has opened the road for the tanker mafia to take advantage of the situation by selling water at high rates.
Residents of East, Central, and South districts have been grappling with water problems over the last ten days, sources say.
Before Ramadan, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) had promised a brief water supply suspension hence repair work, but four days after the repairs the supply remains off.
Citizens who are frustrated have no other option than to depend on private water tankers, which have greatly raised their prices.
Karachi tanker mafia’s control
Made worse by mismanagement, demographic growth, and collapsing buildings, Karachi has long been dealing with a water problem.
The city uses well more than 1.1 billion gallons of water per day, but the supply lags rather significantly.
Thanks to the gap, the tanker mafia has prospered by ruling water distribution and imposing residents high fees.
Years of the tanker mafia allegedly working with government support to take advantage of Karachi’s water poverty have contributed to their increasing power.
Many civilians claim officials are intentionally limiting supply to generate need for private tankers, thereby turning water—an absolute essential—into a profitable black market commodity.
