Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) and police, in a joint operation, sealed an illegal water hydrant at Chakara Goth, Korangi, and arrested a suspect, Express News reported.
According to SSP spokesperson Korangi, the operation was launched following reports of severe water shortage that the city was facing over the past few weeks.
The police, along with KWSB officials, shut down the illegal hydrant operating at Korangi Number One and arrested Nauman, son of Munir Ahmed, who was allegedly involved in the illegal water business. Three other suspects (Rafiq, Abdullah Korijo and Ahmed) managed to flee the scene and efforts are underway to capture them.
A case has been registered against the arrested man and the absconding suspects, and authorities are making efforts to apprehend the fugitives.
The water crisis in Karachi had recently escalated, sparking protests from local residents. On Saturday, members of the Jamaat-e-Islami party held protests at 15 locations in the city.
During the protests, angry protesters opened the valves of water tankers passing through the NIPA and Hassan Square areas, wasting thousands of gallons of water.
Protesters expressed frustration over the lack of water supply to homes and questioned why the water mafia’s operations continued to thrive.
Earlier this week, repair work on Karachi’s 84-inch water pipeline, which had been disrupted for 17 days, was completed, restoring the city’s water supply.
The pipeline was damaged at two points during the construction of the Red Line project, causing a significant water shortage.
As a result of the damage, more than 4 billion gallons of water were lost, severely affecting Karachi’s water supply and leaving many residents struggling to meet their daily needs.
The rupture, which occurred on December 3, stopped water distribution for eight days, with a loss of approximately 2.5 billion gallons.
During this period, several areas of Karachi experienced severe water shortages and many ran out of water completely.
