Chairman of the Pakistani Tanners Association, Fawad Jawed is seeking intervention from the Governor of Sindh, Dr Eshratul Ebad Khan, to direct Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to connect a water pipeline at Karachi's Chamra Roundabout in order to release water into the mains to aid the leather industry.
Jawed said the tannery zone in Korangi industrial area hasn't been getting water from KWSB for over a decade, and the only water source is from underground wells that are quickly drying up. The pipeline was laid over a year ago but the water is yet to be released into the pipeline.
He further warned that the Korangi zone is experiencing a drought and KWSB continues to deny water to the biggest national cluster of tanneries, which contribute to over 35% of total exports. The massive funds Governor Sindh gave to the KWSB are reportedly being allocated elsewhere or hidden despite a two-kilometre pipeline from the tannery zone to Chamra Roundabout. But according to the PTA, the pipeline is yet to be connected. As a result, the PTA is making demands that KWSB must be held to account for wasting national resources.
