Some 400 industrial units in SITE Super Highway Industrial area in Karachi have been facing the imminent danger of complete closure owing to persistent water supply crisis in the area for past one month.

“This imminent threat will not just halt industrial activity in the area but it could affect 100,000 workers associated with our industrial units and God forbids if such a large workforce is rendered jobless, it will simply create a law and order problem in the city,” said President of SITE Super Highway Association of Industry Dr. Shaiekh Kaiser Waheed Mangoon in a press statement issued here on Tuesday.

Dr. Kaiser Waheed said that present gloomy situation persisting in his industrial area brazenly negated all the tall claims of provincial and federal authorities concerned of promoting industrialization and trade in Karachi after restoration of law and order situation.

“Our water supply is virtually disconnected for no fault of ours as we duly paid our water dues to SITE Limited. It is SITE Limited, which didn’t pass on the same charges to the Karachi Water & Sewerage, which in turn curtailed our water supply,” said the SITE Super Highway Association president.

“The situation that SITE (Sindh Industrial Trading Estate) Limited is not paying water charges of our industries to the KWSB shows well that there is some serious transparency issue in fiscal affairs of the SITE where embezzlement or misappropriation is being committed at the very cost of survival of industrial units in the city,” said Dr. Waheed.

He said that industrial units related to textiles, pharmaceuticals, steel, and food manufacturing and similar other sectors in the SITE Super Highway area could not survive or continue with their normal operations with curtailed or no water supply in the area. “Already 50 industrial units in our area have shut their operations and more so would follow suit if the present sorry state of affairs persisted any further,” he said.

“The monthly water requirement of SITE Super Highway stands at 1,50,00000 gallons and against it we are virtually getting nothing and that is like an imminent and serious threat we have been facing and every responsible authority should now step in to avert this disaster,” said Dr Waheed.

He appealed to the Sindh governor, chief minister, Local Government minister, Industries and Commerce minister, and Karachi’s commissioner to immediately take the required corrective measures and save the situation of SITE Super Highway Industrial area from utter crash.

“It is simply an issue for our national economy as export orders of billions of rupees could not be readied in time if we continue to face such an alarming situation any further,” he said.

“Every now and then Sindh CM and governor are used to chair a meeting or address a function where they take credit for facilitating industrial and business activities in Karachi after restoration of peace in the city. But here our situation is altogether different from their lofty claims,” he said.

Dr. Kaiser Waheed on behalf of his association sent the other day an emergency appeal to the managing director of Karachi Water & Sewerage Board requesting him to take measures on a war-footing basis to restore water supply to SITE Super Highway industrial area. Copies of the appeal were also sent to Sindh CM, provincial ministers for Industries and Commerce, Local Government, provincial Secretary for Industries and Commerce, to managing-director and chief engineer of the SITE Ltd.