Power Outage Triggers Severe Water Crisis in Pakistan’s Karachi

K-Electric is going to begin maintenance at the Dhabeji Grid and Substation on Monday, because of which residents across the city of Karachi would likely face a water shortage of a whopping 100 million gallons, as reported by ARY News.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has given a warning of a potential shortfall of 100 million gallons due to the planned nine-hour power shutdown under the pretext of water shortage in Karachi. Citing Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation spokespersons, Ary News said that the Dhabeji station maintenance will begin at 10:00 AM and will continue until 7:00 PM.

In this time frame, the electricity supply to various feeders at the Dhabeji Pumping Station will be partially suspended, thereby directly impacting water distribution across the city. According to Ary News, several areas of Karachi are likely to face a water shortage because of this.

The following water shortage comes after a similar disruption happened on July 29, during which a shortage of 85 million gallons took place. Leakages in Karachi’s main water supply lines have been a recurring issue. The main lines, with diameters ranging from 48 inches to 84 inches, were laid between 1956 and 1971, it further reported.

Ageing infrastructure has made these pipelines vulnerable to ruptures, resulting in frequent disruptions to the city’s water supply. Pakistan is facing water scarcity issues due to climate change and population pressure, as reported by Dawn. According to Dawn, between 1998 and 2004, the country suffered a crippling drought, which affected over 3 million people.

Then in 2022, record monsoon rains triggered catastrophic floods, submerging one-third of the country, killing over 1,700 people, displacing millions, and inflicting more than USD 30 billion in economic losses. (ANI)