Dhabeji pumping station, the city’s main water intake facility, is heavily dependent on an uninterrupted power supply, with even brief outages capable of disrupting water distribution across Karachi.
According to a statement issued by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), electricity supply to several phases of the pumping station was suspended at around 6am following a cable fault in K-Electric’s system.
The power outage affected the third and fourth phases of the Dhabeji pumping station as well as the K-3 Pump House, leaving 10 of the station’s 21 pumps out of operation, the spokesperson said.
The disruption could partially affect water supply to various parts of the city due to the shutdown of the affected pumps, the statement added.
KWSC officials were coordinating with K-Electric for the restoration of power, while the utility said the 10 affected pumps would be brought back online immediately after electricity was restored.
The water utility also urged citizens to avoid unnecessary water consumption until the situation was resolved.
The latest disruption comes after several similar incidents at Dhabeji and other major pumping stations in recent months.
On July 27, Karachi experienced a 48-million-gallon water shortfall following a breakdown at Dhabeji, affecting areas including parts of North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Gulberg Town, New Karachi, Landhi, Korangi and Scheme 33.
Earlier that month, a power outage at the Dhabeji K-2 Pump House disrupted operations after faults developed in the manifold chamber and main valves, temporarily shutting down three major pumps.
On June 1, a fault in K-Electric’s main cable suspended power supply to the Hub Pumping Station, resulting in an estimated daily water shortfall of 85 million gallons for Karachi.
The city had also faced a 122-million-gallon-per-day water shortfall after electricity supply to the North East Karachi Pumping Station was disrupted due to a fault in K-Electric’s main cable.
On May 30, an emergency shutdown at Dhabeji Pumping Station forced 10 of its 21 pumping units to stop operating, further disrupting water distribution across the metropolis.
