Karachi braces for water shortage after power failure at Dhabeji station

KARACHI: A power breakdown by K-Electric at the Dhabeji Pumping Station on Tuesday disrupted operations of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) and is expected to reduce the city’s water supply by nearly 100 million gallons per day (MGD).

According to a KWSC spokesperson, the electricity outage affected the K-2 Pump House, where the manifold chamber and main valves developed a fault.

“Work is being carried out at full pace to remove accumulated water from the affected valves, after which repair work will begin immediately,” he said.

He added that the water utility had directed technical teams to undertake emergency repairs. “Engineers and maintenance staff are present at the site to identify and fix the fault as quickly as possible”, the official said.

The spokesperson said that as a result of the malfunction, three major pumps at the K-2 Pumping Station had been temporarily shut down. “The disruption is expected to reduce Karachi’s daily water supply by around 100 million gallons,” he added.

It may be noted that under normal conditions, the city receives approximately 650 MGD.

The KWSC spokesperson warned that the temporary reduction could affect several areas, including North Nazimabad, Federal B. Area, Buffer Zone, Gulshan-i-Iqbal Block 13-D, Gulistan-i-Jauhar and parts of Scheme 33.

“Water supply in these localities may remain suspended until repairs are completed,” he added.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2026 ...