Karachi: The President of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (KATI), Faraz-ur-Rehman, has
raised alarm over the escalating challenges faced by industrialists in the Korangi area, attributing their
woes to the Water Board’s inefficiency and the influential tanker mafia. Furthermore, the inadequate
management of sewage lines in the industrial sector has compounded the difficulties, leaving businesses
in dire straits.
Despite multiple assurances from the Water Board, industrialists find themselves without a reliable
water supply, forcing them to resort to purchasing water from tankers at exorbitant prices. Faraz-ur-
Rehman accuses the Water Board of neglecting the industrial sector’s improvement, which has left the
industrialists in Pakistan’s largest industrial area at the mercy of the unscrupulous tanker mafia, while
sewage issues remain unresolved.
President KATI stated that their association had repeatedly communicated the issues to Water Board
officials, with a specific focus on the dire need for water and sewage system improvements. The Water
Board officials had promised to rectify the situation and ensure uninterrupted water supply and sewage
system repairs. Regrettably, these promises remain unfulfilled, and the tanker mafia continues to exploit
industrialists, selling water at arbitrary rates, while the sewage system deteriorates.
Faraz-ur-Rehman emphasized that Korangi’s industrialists have been left to fend for themselves,
whether dealing with sewerage issues, managing alternative energy sources during power shortages, or
even undertaking road and highway maintenance, responsibilities that should have been shouldered by
the administration. The Water Board’s inefficiency has pushed industries to the brink of closure in
Korangi, prompting industrialists to contemplate shifting their investments to other cities and countries.
President KATI called upon the Sindh Chief Minister and the administration to ensure the provision of
basic facilities to industrialists, warning that the industry might cease to exist in Karachi unless
immediate action is taken. He stressed the urgency of tackling the tanker mafia to secure a stable water
supply for industrialists and to address the sewage system issues on an emergency basis. Failure to act,
he warned, could result in the government missing revenue targets and further industrial decline in the
city.
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