Karachi reels under water shortage as Dhabeji pumping station stays powerless for third day

Karachi [Pakistan], July 1 : Water-starved residents of several localities in Karachi will have to wait longer for regular water supply, as electricity to a pumping house at the Dhabeji Pumping Station has not yet been restored, Dawn reported.

According to the report, a major power breakdown at the Dhabeji facility three days ago has triggered a severe water crisis across the city, leaving almost every locality without water.

Since the failure, Karachi has faced a total shortfall of over 350 million gallons per day (MGD), against the city's already inadequate daily supply of around 650 MGD far below the required 1,250 MGD.

A spokesperson for the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), the city's sole water utility, told Dawn that two feeders of a pumping house known as the K-III Pumping House at the Dhabeji Pumping Station have remained out of service for 96 hours.

K-Electric attributed the outage to a fault in an underground cable, saying that repair efforts were being delayed due to accumulated rainwater. The company said that electricity supply would be restored once the water is drained.

The KWSC spokesperson told Dawn that the fault, which occurred at 10 pm on June 26, led to the shutdown of two main water pumps at the K-III Pumping House.

"The outage has resulted in a staggering shortfall of over 350 MGD, and parts of districts East and Central including Nazimabad, New Karachi, Landhi, and Korangi are facing severe disruptions in water supply," the spokesperson said.

The official added that 70 MGD of water used to be pumped from the K-III Pumping House, which is now inoperative. "However, 70 MGD is currently being supplied from the K-II Pumping House at the Dhabeji Pumping Station," he noted.

The spokesperson also said that another breakdown occurred at the Damloti Pumping Station, causing suspension of water supply to areas including Malir, Khokrapar, Memon Goth, and Malir Cantt.

Power supply to the Damloti Pumping Station was restored at 3 pm on Sunday, but was disrupted again after 20 minutes. "The power supply to the pumping station was restored late in the night," the KWSC official said, adding that the prolonged disruption had badly affected routine water supply.

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