Karachi Faces Extreme Water Shortage: Tanker System Shut Down — What’s the Recovery Plan?

Karachi is currently facing a major water shortage due to repair work on several pipelines and pumping stations, the Karachi Water Corporation confirmed on Friday.

A spokesperson said that a 48-inch main pipeline connected to the North East Pumping Station developed a leakage, which led to the shutdown of three pumps. At the same time, one pump at the Dhabeji Pumping Station was also stopped for maintenance, further affecting the city’s water supply.

As a result, many areas of the city, including Scheme 33, Safora, North Nazimabad, Gulberg, Liaquatabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and Federal B Area, are experiencing severe water shortages. The Water Corporation also confirmed that the water tanker service has been suspended due to the pipeline issues, worsening the overall crisis.

Officials said that around 150 million gallons of water per day have been temporarily cut off due to the repair work. However, they assured that the repairs are expected to be completed within the next 10 hours, after which the water supply will gradually return to normal.

The corporation had earlier said that approximately 500 million gallons per day were being supplied through alternative sources to avoid a complete disruption during the repair period.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari expressed concern over Karachi’s long-standing water issues. He urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to act quickly and resolve the problem as promised.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Hub Canal, Bilawal said that both the Sindh and federal governments must work together to ensure clean and adequate water supply for Karachi. He also mentioned that efforts are underway to build treatment plants to provide water to the city’s industrial areas.