Karachi [Pakistan], November 22 : The residents of Karachi on Friday (local time) continued to face water shortages due to frequent K-Electric (KE) power outages, which have disrupted the city's water pumping operations, DAWN News reported.
As per DAWN News, a spokesperson of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) said that the city's crucial K-3 pumping station suffered a major electrical breakdown on Thursday night. This occurred just a day after electricity had been restored following a 41-hour power cut.
Soon after the restoration, the fault in the electricity wiring resurfaced, forcing the pumping station to shut down once again. The station had also been temporarily closed on Monday, but the underlying issues remained unresolved, worsening the water crisis for residents dependent on the facility.
Meanwhile, last month, an alarming incident highlighting Pakistan's worsening public health and sanitation systems, nine people, including six children, lost their lives to a gastroenteritis outbreak in a village on Karachi's outskirts. The tragedy unfolded in Faiz Muhammad Burro Goth, located near Bahria Town Karachi, within the jurisdiction of Thana Bola Khan, district Jamshoro, as reported by Dawn.
According to Dawn, the deaths occurred over several days after residents consumed contaminated water and food during a funeral gathering held more than a week ago. Provincial Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho confirmed that preliminary findings point to the contaminated meal as the likely source of infection.
Authorities have declared a health emergency in the affected region and neighbouring Malir district, with all local hospitals on high alert. The Rescue 1122 ambulance service has been placed on standby, while district health officers (DHOs) continue to monitor the situation. Malir's DHO, Dr Imdad Channa, said that although the outbreak originated in Jamshoro, hospitals in Dumba Goth and Murad Memon Goth are also treating patients linked to the incident.
The villagers were relying on water from an open underground tank, which is believed to be the primary source of contamination. Samples have been collected and sent for laboratory testing. They explained that gastroenteritis, commonly referred to as "stomach flu", spreads easily through unsafe food and polluted water, leading to symptoms such as diarrhoea, vomiting, and fever, as highlighted by Dawn.
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