There are many localities in this slum area of Karachi that have not received a drop of piped water for years. There are several reasons for this scarcity of water, including the pilferage of Lyari's share by better-off neighbourhoods which have prior access to the distribution system. Also, the KWSB staff operating the valves deliberately stop the supply of water so that Lyari residents are forced to turn to tankers which charge exorbitant sums for their services. To add to their predicament, the little water that Lyari's one million dwellers do receive is often contaminated and thus unfit for drinking. This state of affairs is threatening to turn ugly as people are getting desperate and staging demonstrations against water scarcity.
Urgent steps are necessary to mitigate the situation.