Residents of Karachi are likely to face a severe water shortage of up to 100 million gallons on Monday due to a scheduled power outage for maintenance at the Dhabeji Grid and Substation, ARY News reported.
The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has warned of a significant supply disruption during the nine-hour electricity shutdown, set to take place from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM. The maintenance will partially suspend power to feeders at the Dhabeji Pumping Station, directly impacting water distribution across multiple areas of the city.
This comes shortly after a similar incident on July 29, which resulted in a shortfall of 85 million gallons. The city’s water woes are compounded by decades-old infrastructure. Karachi’s main water supply lines — some as large as 84 inches in diameter — were installed between 1956 and 1971 and are increasingly prone to leaks and ruptures.
Pakistan’s broader water crisis is deepening due to aging infrastructure, climate change, and rapid population growth. As per Dawn, the country has already faced multiple water-related disasters — including a crippling drought from 1998 to 2004 affecting over 3 million people, and devastating floods in 2022 that submerged a third of the country, killed over 1,700 people, and caused over USD 30 billion in losses.
