KARACHI: Residents of Qayyumabad blocked Qayyumabad Chowrangi on Friday to protest a water shortage that has persisted for several days, bringing traffic to a standstill and stranding commuters in sweltering heat.
Protesters placed stones and barricades on the road, causing long vehicle queues and severe congestion on major routes leading to the Korangi Industrial Area, Shahrah-e-Faisal and Korangi Crossing.
Several people, including women, were stuck at their offices or on the road as temperatures soared.
The protest comes a day after Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi announced a citywide protest scheduled for Friday over the worsening water shortage, warning that it may call a strike if supply does not improve immediately.
The decision was made Wednesday at a meeting of district leaders held at Idara Noor-i-Haq, chaired by acting JI Karachi chief and opposition leader in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, Saifuddin Advocate. Participants reviewed the city’s deteriorating civic conditions, with particular focus on the water crisis affecting residents across Karachi.
The meeting expressed deep concern over the prolonged disruption in water supply and criticized the Sindh government, the city mayor and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, describing their performance as incompetent and mismanaged.
JI warned that if immediate steps were not taken to restore normal supply, large-scale protests would be organized throughout the city.
“Water protests in Karachi are becoming a repeated pattern because basic supply issues are not being resolved,” one protester said. “Blocking roads shows public frustration, but a long-term solution needs improved distribution, infrastructure repair and fair water management so citizens are not forced into repeated street protests for basic needs.”
