No relief in sight for parched city
KARACHI:
Water supply will be disrupted for three days starting Monday, as repair work is scheduled on a seven-foot diameter water line on University Road.
The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) spokesperson confirmed that the repair work on the key pipeline will take up to 72 hours, Express News reported.
The corporation is aiming to restore water supply by Wednesday evening.vThe city receives 650 million gallons of water daily, but the repair work will cause a shortfall of 150 million gallons, with 500 million gallons continuing as usual.
The repair will affect several areas, including Lyari, Clifton, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Jamshed Town, and Old City. However, the parallel pipelines will continue to supply water, ensuring minimal disruption.
KWSC CEO visited University Road to inspect the line, ensuring the work proceeds efficiently. The officials have been instructed to expedite repairs, with work continuing round the clock to meet the deadline. Residents are urged to store water in advance and use it wisely during the disruption to avoid any inconvenience.
Talking to The Express Tribune in an exclusive conversation, he said that the Red Line construction has significantly affected KWSC's main pipelines.
He said that despite providing comprehensive maps and information to Trans Karachi, the pipelines have been repeatedly damaged at several points during construction; he said and added that the main pipeline was damaged during piling work for the BRT project.
Salahuddin has demanded Trans Karachi to cover the repair costs and associated damages. He went on to say that the repair work is being carried out permanently rather than temporarily to ensure that future operations of the BRT system do not face the similar issues.
The MD also noted that when the new leak was discovered, water pressure was reduced, which leads to reduced supply to various areas and neighborhoods of the city. He assured that the repair work would be completed by Wednesday night, with water supply scheduled to be resumed from Thursday afternoon. He urged the citizens to use water cautiously during this period.
Few days ago, The Express Tribune had reported that water crisis has returned to haunt residents in most neighbourhoods of the metropolitan city as the 84-inch water pipeline, which was damaged during development works and repaired only eight days ago, has started leaking again.
KWSC started fresh efforts to ensure water supply to the city of nearly three million people. A KWSC meeting has been called on Thursday which will decide on whether the repair work will involve shutting off the water temporarily or maintaining supply.
The initial problem began on Dec 3, when the pipeline ruptured at two locations due to the ongoing Red Line construction, causing a major disruption to water supply.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
22-05-2025
- Express Tribune
The scars of PK-8303 still linger
It has been five years since Pakistan International Airlines flight PK-8303 crashed near Karachi's Jinnah International Airport, claiming 97 lives and leaving behind harrowing stories of survival and loss. On May 22, 2020, amid eased Covid-19 restrictions, flight PK-8303 took off from Lahore for Karachi with 91 passengers and 8 crew members aboard, many heading home to celebrate Eid-ul-Fitr. However, the aircraft never made it safely to its destination. According to official findings, the aircraft attempted to land at Jinnah Terminal but its landing gear failed to deploy. Both engines repeatedly scraped the runway during the first landing attempt, causing sparks to fly. Instead of executing a belly landing, the pilot opted for a go-around, a decision that ultimately proved fatal. In the final moments, the captain issued a Mayday call. Cockpit recordings and flight data revealed that the crew violated standard descent protocols near Nawabshah and Makli, maintaining higher than advised altitude and speed during approach. The Airbus A320, weighing 80 tons, broke apart and crashed onto the densely populated Jinnah Garden residential area. The thunderous noise of collapsing metal, plummeting parts and erupting fuel painted a scene of apocalypse. One of the few survivors on the ground, Sohail Asghar, recounted the traumatic moments to The Express Tribune. On that fateful Friday afternoon, shortly after offering Jumuah prayers, he had just sat in his car parked outside his home to run errands for iftar. The engine had barely started and the door remained open when he heard an ominous roar, a grinding, growling sound unlike anything he had ever heard. Panicked and unable to comprehend what was happening, Asghar threw himself onto a small patch of garden next to his house. Seconds later, flaming metal shards, heavy aircraft parts, and boiling jet fuel began raining from the sky. "Everything was burning. The alley was shrouded in thick, black smoke. My screams were probably drowned out in the chaos," he said. Unseen to him, two young neighbours had noticed Asghar moments before he stepped out. Hearing the crash, they rushed through the smoke and dragged him inside their home. Rescue officials were eventually alerted, and Asghar was moved to the hospital. He remained under treatment for nearly eight months. Even today, Asghar says, he finds it difficult to revisit that memory. He no longer lives in Jinnah Garden, having relocated after the trauma became unbearable.
Express Tribune
07-05-2025
- Express Tribune
Decrepit infrastructure fueling derailments
As Punjab pushes ahead with plans for Pakistan's first bullet train, the country's existing railway infrastructure — plagued by derailments, decrepit tracks, and malfunctioning signals — casts doubt on the feasibility of such ambitious project. Details gathered by The Express Tribune reveal that over 6,500 kilometers of railway tracks, built since the creation of Pakistan, have surpassed their natural lifespan and are now in a state of disrepair. However, the absence of a bailout package for railway improvements and insufficient funds for track repairs have contributed to numerous train derailments. According to sources of The Express Tribune, more than 200 incidents of train derailment have been reported each year in Punjab over the past four years. In 2021, 280 incidents of derailment of freight and passenger trains on the main and branch lines were reported followed by 230 incidents in 2022, 250 in 2023, 270 in 2024, and 130 incidents during the first four months of 2025. The majority of derailment incidents were reported from Sukkur division, followed by Lahore, Multan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Quetta. According to Muhammad Sabir Awan, an expert on the railways, incorrect alignment between the train and track and non-compliance with the SOPs given by the Engineering and Mechanical Department for traffic safety were the major reasons behind most cases of derailment. "The job of the Divisional Superintendent is to inspect the train and track in his division. This inspection should be done at least once a week, but this rarely happens, due to which loose nuts, bolts and malfunctioning signal systems cause trains to derail. By fixing the rolling stock and improving the condition of the coaches, train derailment can be prevented," said Awan, who urged the government to improve Pakistan Railways. Shahid Nazir and Muhammad Ammar Aslam, who frequently take a train from Lahore to Okara disclosed the state of the railway infrastructure. "The coaches are derailed on the second or third day of running on the tracks. As a result, we complete a two-and-a-half-hour journey in six to eight hours. The government should improve the railway system," urged the passengers. Former Chief Engineer of Pakistan Railways Muhammad Afzal Bajwa revealed that every railway system had a given lifespan after which it had to be upgraded. "Unfortunately, Pakistan Railways is using railway tracks from the British era. So far, we have only doubled the track from Lahore to Lodhran, which was done during the Musharraf era. Until the government provides funds for the improvement of the track, trains will continue to derail. The government should give the railways a bailout package again," implored Bajwa. Speaking to The Express Tribune on the matter, President of Pakistan Railways (Prem Union) Sheikh Muhammad Anwar believed that the government's neglect was primarily responsible for derailments. "The government is building roads, ring roads, and motorways, but it has neither the funds nor the time to fix the railways. Dues worth Rs7 billion are still due to government employees since 2019. The annual budget of Pakistan Railways is Rs45 billion. How can the expenditure on the 6,500-kilometer track be met from this budget? Although the track from Lahore to Lodhran is up to date, the remaining track has completed its natural lifespan," confirmed Anwar. When asked about the situation, Babar Ali Raza, Director General Public Relations, Pakistan Railways, said: "We have imposed engineering restrictions on weak tracks to prevent derailmentsthese define speed limits that cannot be exceeded at certain points." The Railway Minister, he said, has initiated 13 projects worth Rs11 billion to strengthen vulnerable sections. "If we review data from the past decade, the casualty ratewhile it should ideally be zerois steadily decreasing due to the measures taken, and we expect this downward trend to continue," Raza claimed.
Express Tribune
03-05-2025
- Express Tribune
'Ageing pipes caused KU deluge'
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) of the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Engineer Asadullah Khan released a detailed video statement addressing the causes and repair measures related to the burst water lines at Siphon 19 near the University of Karachi. He explained that the water lines in the area are several decades old, with one installed in 1956 and the other in 1971 - making them 69 and 54 years old, respectively. Their designated lifespans have long since expired. He stated that Siphon 19, located near Karachi University, has two 84-inch diameter PRCC (Pre-stressed Reinforced Concrete Cylinder) pipelines, one of which is 16,000 feet (approximately five kilometres) long. Siphon 19 begins at Saadi Town and extends to University Road. The COO noted that the U-shaped pipelines at the siphon increase water pressure significantly. Water flowing through these U-shaped sections generates much more pressure compared to straight conduit lines. As a result, the old and weakened pipes are unable to withstand the added pressure, causing them to burst. He clarified that the pipelines running from Dhabeji to Karachi are straight conduits and do not experience this increased pressure, which is why they remain intact. He further shared that the damaged PRCC line at Siphon 19 is being replaced with a mild steel (MS) pipe. To ensure durability, four tons of molten lead, heated to 300°C, will be poured on both ends of the pipe. The process is called lead pouring. He expressed hope that the repair work would be completed by Saturday evening, after which the water supply was expected to return to normal. He apologised to citizens for the inconvenience. Left parched Meanwhile, experts claimed that repairs of the seven-foot wide pipeline, initially expected by Saturday, were now likely to continue until Sunday. They said that even if, by any chance, KWSC manages to complete the repair work by Sunday an additional three-day period would be required for normalization of the water supply to the city.
