Karachi Faces Water Shortfall After Three Main Water Lines Burst

Three major water supply lines at the Dhabeji pumping station ruptured on Monday following a power breakdown, creating a shortfall of around 140 million gallons per day (MGD) in Karachi.

The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) said three 72-inch transmission mains were damaged after a sudden power outage at around 2:30pm.

A KWSC spokesperson said one of the affected lines would be repaired by Tuesday, with water supply expected to resume through it by the evening. He added that once Line-5 is restored, the shortfall will reduce to around 50MGD to 60MGD.

The spokesperson said the outage hit the second phase of the Dhabeji pumping station, a key facility supplying a large portion of the city’s water.

He said the sudden shutdown caused back pressure in the system, which ruptured two PRCC lines and one MS line. He added that repeated and unannounced power outages have continued to disrupt operations and damage infrastructure, increasing maintenance costs.

K-Electric (KE), however, confirmed that a cable fault affected the pumping station but said power supply remained available to 18 out of 22 motors. The company said the remaining four motors were being powered through alternate sources.