Pakistan: A look at Karachi's 'tanker mafias'

DW (English)

Millions of people in Karachi, Pakistan's most populous city, have to buy water supplied through commercial tankers every day. The business is run by the so-called "tanker mafias." What is the government doing to stop them?

Transcript

00:00How do you get water from the tankers?

00:05Where do they get the water from?

00:07This means that the water is being stolen.

00:09These people are so influential that the government is not able to control them.

00:31We purchase drinking water as well as used water.

00:36We spend more than half of our money on water.

00:40There are 4,500 tankers in front of you.

00:42Four tankers come in a month.

00:44How do you get water from the tankers?

00:46Where do they get the water from?

00:48This means that the water is being stolen.

00:56There is no water at all.

00:58There is no water at all.

01:00There is a shortage of water here.

01:02We get six cans of water here.

01:04We can't survive.

01:06What can we do?

01:08How can we buy such expensive water?

01:10Believe me, I came here for work.

01:12I didn't even drink water.

01:14I didn't even breathe.

01:16I came here for water.

01:18This is our situation.

01:29A large quantity of water is either distributed by the tanker mafia

01:36or is diverted to the bus and political groups.

01:43The water supply is about 40% by the tankers.

01:47This is a huge business

01:49and billions of rupees are involved.

01:54Because of this, so many people are affected,

01:59many people are homeless.

02:02There is a shortage of water.

02:05The water supply is very poor.

02:08These people are so influential that the government is not able to control them.

02:14The government is not able to control them.

02:28The illegal ideas were created in Central and other districts.

02:33We did a grand operation under the leadership of the water board team.

02:39They took connections from the main lines and carried out illegal aid.

02:44They were arrested and arrested.

03:09For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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