KARACHI: Citizens of Karachi breathed a sigh of relief as the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation completed the repairing work of the 84-inch main water line on University Road, yesterday.

The repair work, which took eleven days to complete, has restored water supply to several areas of the city. According to the spokesperson of Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation, "the supply of water has been restored following the repair of the 84-inch main water line."

"Water supply has been resumed from the Dhabeji pumping station, and lines are being charged", he added. The main water line was ruptured on November 28 due to the Red Line Track construction work, leading to the disconnection of water supply to the swathes of the city. The slow repairing work of the pipeline created a major water crisis in several areas including Gulshan e Iqbal, Karachi Admin Society, Jamshed Town, Liyari, and the old city, as millions of residents suffered an acute water shortage for days. Water tanker services had remained cut off during the repair work, due to the closure of two major hydrants in the city, exacerbating the misery of Karachi citizens. According to a report, Karachi gets about only half the water it requires. Out of that, one-third either gets stolen, thanks to alleged hydrant or tanker mafia, or is wasted owing to dilapidated and outdated pipelines that have not been repaired or replaced.

Experts urged to bring together all the stakeholders to make well-coordinated policies, installing and strengthening an authorized local government system to help people get their grievances heard, addressed, and resolved.