Water Crisis

By Sufi Shahid, Wania Khan, Fatima Batool, and Rauf-ul-Hassan, Shazib Sikander and Faraz Khan

Karachi, with an unofficial population figure of 15 million, needs about 600 million gallons of water per day, but the city currently receives only about 435 million. Part of the shortfall is due to a dilapidated water supply and sewerage infrastructure. At most places, our water transmission and distribution system has completed the designed economic life. One of field investigations reveal losses to the tune of 30 to 35 percent.

Water Tanker Mafia in Karachi

Capitalizing on the current shortage, a tanker mafia has mushroomed. Apart from 5 official hydrants allowed by the KWSB, dozens of illegal hydrants alongside the Lyari River, which passes through the city, have emerged. These hydrants are supplying contaminated sub-soil water from the river, into which the city's sewage is pumped

According to one report, out of 114 hydrants, 86 are illegal. On top of the public health risk involved, the economy is also suffering at the hands of the tanker mafia. Manager of industrial zone Karachi, he told that industrial units are forced to buy from water tankers permanently to meet their requirement.

He said that industries pays around US $200 a day to keep there factory supplied with water. KWSB told IRIN it was trying to solve the water supply problem by building new infrastructure. The project would supply only another 100 MGPD to Karachi once completed, well below current requirements.

That 550MGD, however, never reaches those who need it. Of that water, a staggering 42 percent — or 235 MGD — is either lost or stolen before it ever reaches consumers, according to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB).

Karachi's daily demand for water should be about 1,100 MGD, based on UN standards for water consumption for the megacity of more than 20 million. If that estimate — considered generous by local analysts — were to be pared down, however, Karachis current water supply should still be adequate to service most of the citys needs.

If 550GMD of water actually reaches Karachi, then right now, with conditions as they are, we would be able to manage the situation very well and provide water to everyone, says Ovais Malik, KWSBs chief engineer, who has been working for the utility for more than 12 years.

KWSB is, by any standard, a sick institution. This fiscal year, it estimates that it will be running at a deficit of 59.3 percent. Only about 60 percent of consumers pay their bills, with the biggest defaulters being government institutions themselves, which owe KWSB about $6 million in arrears.

As an individual, learn all you can about the problem at hand. Figure out what you can do at your end to play your part in solving Karachi's water shortage and then hold discussions with your family and friends. Get more people involved in similar efforts to create the awareness that we need to participate actively in saving water for the future.

A city with a population approaching 20 million, Karachi is facing numerous challenges due to its rapid urbanization and population growth. Water scarcity is one of thesec challenges. Located in the arid climate region, the scarcity of water is considered a serious problem of the city as the pattern of rainfall in this region is highly erratic. Decision makers should holistically address the water sector by considering the important factors such as population growth, rapid urbanization, and climate change.

Best practices and regulations should be implemented at the local government level for the better management of water resources, which are already becoming scarce. New development in the periphery of the city must be consistent with the available water resources; otherwise, the future residents of the city will face a serious challenge related to water supply. The Nash bargaining solution under homogenous (equal) weights, in this study, does not consider other factors such as water use efficiency and non-payment of water tariff.

Therefore, in order to expand the scope of the conversation, one may explore other scenarios, including the effects of changing population, growing population, and water tariffs. We hope this proposed framework for water allocation will find more innovative applications for other populated cities experiencing water shortages across the world