QUETTA: With a daily requirement of 50 million gallons of potable water, demand has outstripped supply in the provincial capital of Balochistan. As elsewhere in the country, the residents of Quetta now have to pay Rs500 more per tanker to buy drinking water.

The supply situation has been further impacted due to a growing population. This scarcity has given birth to a powerful and thriving tanker mafia, with the city has left entirely at its mercy.

The Water And Sanitation Agency (WASA), which is responsible for the supply of water, says it cannnot cope with the increasing demand. It says that there are only 428 operational tube wells - a claim disputed by independent sources.

They say most of WASA’s tube wells are dry, and they have barely enough to meet the needs of 30% of the city’s population of over one million. Water tankers have become the solution to bridge this gap.

But the situation is at a point where they are being accused of exploitative practices.