From Kurrachee 1844 to Karachi 1995
LET me take you today to the Karachi of almost 150 years. I have come across a tract, which was published in 1846. It is titled Selections from the Records of the Commissioner in Sindh . "Subject: Karachi Cantonment . Quality of water in the immediate neighbourhood of Camp, and the question of bringing water into the Camp from the Lyari River by means of an aqueduct."
It gives us an account of a committee meeting held on August 29, 1844. The report of the committee, which met at 'Camp Kurrachee,' was published on September 9 the same year. Headed by Surgeon Lush, 14th Regiment, N.I., the committee had two other members: Assistant Surgeon Wright , 25th Regiment, N.I., and Assistant Surgeon Weston , 3rd Regiment, N.I.
It examined "the water of the various wells in Camp by tasting it on the spot and by ascertaining from the Native Officers and others of the different regiments their opinion of its quality, and by applying such chemical lists as could be obtained. The committee, however, regrets exceedingly that it has not been able to make a minuter or exact analysis in consequence of the want of the necessary materials and apparatus, without which it is impossible to place much confidence in the result of any experiments."
It then goes on to give a well-by-well description of the quality of water. In all, 22 sites are listed, some of them having more than one well. Remarks vary from "brackish and unfit for consumption containing in excess the salts of magnesia and soda" to "water clear and sweet and much used for drinking." Many of the wells are named after British officers and regiments, but those carrying native names may be recalled here: Gopal Buniah , Babeer Buniah , Aga Sahib, Conjeeria , Pakhal Bhistee , Bhyjee Gopaljee (the best in the Camp), Motee Shet Buniah , Dooleywallah , and the Ruttan Talaw .
The committee concluded that good quality water was available along the banks of the River Lyari and its neighbourhood, but on the southern side of the Camp, as one moved towards the sea, "the water becomes more and more brackish, and the supply in like manner diminishes in quantity as well as deteriorates in quality."
Commenting on the report, Major-General Sir C. I. Napier , the man who conquered the province and became its first British Governor , wrote:
The report is good as far as it goes, but only tills half the story. There are two essential points yet to be answered.
1. It is well known that (in) some years no rain falls at Kurrachee. Query-will the water be good and abundant on such occasions? I say not, because when I first arrived in Scinde, I could not drink the water of Kurrachee, and it was exceedingly scarce as well as bad.
2. It was then considered by the medical men here that the water was the cause of the fact, of which fact I sent the report of a Medical Committee to Bombay , viz, that 6 men in every 7 of the 22nd regiment were infected with scurvy. I have to apologise to the gentlemen of the Committee for not having submitted this statement to them in the first instance, the truth is, it only recurred to my memory on reading this report. (Sd.) C. I. Napier.
The committee reassembled on September 13, 1844 to "take into consideration the remarks of his Excellency Major-General Sir C.I. Napier, GCB." The Lush-Wright -Weston answer to the General's remarks was:
1- Even after abundant rains for two seasons running, the water in many wells was unfit for consumption because of the large quantity of salts it contained. In conditions of drought, the amount of salts in the water increased 'very materially.' So, the Committee's answer to the first query was that water could neither be good nor abundant under conditions of drought.
2- As for the second query, the Committee held that because of the great excess of salts in the water, its use would be "very pernicious to the health of the troops, having a tendency to produce not only scurvy, but also bowel complaints."
The document contains a report from Capt. Waley Cole , Superintendent, Canals, to Capt Brown , Secretary to Government of Scinde, Kurrachee, dated August 8, 1846. The subject is "providing water for domestic purposes in the Cantonments, together with a few remarks on cleansing them by means of sewers, and also on the state of the town of Kurrachee." It begins with Cole's remarks on "an aqueduct to bring in water from the Lyari River for use of Camp, Kurrachee."
It begins thus:
The fall from the river to Government House is 30 feet and the depth of water below the Leeari pin is about 30 feet; the distance measured roughly is 9,800+8,850 = 18,650; dividing by the height, there is a fall of 1 in 620 nearly.
Now, this is a greater fall than is absolutely necessary; if we allow 1 foot in 800, we shall find that the aqueduct need only be at the river 23`-5`` above the level of the pin at Government House. Supposing the main velocity would be 2 feet per second deep, the quantity of discharge 2.25, or per hour 8,100 feet: this is equal to 50, 625 gallons per hour, or in 24 hours to 1,200,000 and would supply 120,000 persons amply.
Then he talks "of the town (from which the stench is at times intolerable)."
So from Kurrachee 1844, to Karachi 1995, water has been a problem and the way things are going, will remain a problem come 2044. Napier conquered Sindh in 1843, and within a year was tackling the problem of water shortage and impurity. The water committee met on August 29, 1844 and Napier reacted to its report (submitted on September 9) immediately. It did not gather dust at his desk.
"Why were the British so efficient?" I ask a friend.
"They had a lot of time on their hands; because they had left families and friends back home. So they did file work, they did field work, they worked morning and evening and in between."
"How about the situation today? Nothing works and nobody works. Why?"
"Baba, why don't you understand? Our own Sahibs have too much to do. First thing in the morning, they have to drive their children to school, sometimes to more than one school. Then they have to drive them back home in the afternoon. After the morning exercise, they are too tired to attend to the work they are paid for. So the first hour in office is tea or coffee time, " said my friend.
"Go on."
"The moment they take up a file, the telephone rings-the Chief Secretary wants them. More tea or coffee. How can they refuse the Chief's tea? By the time the C.S. dismisses them, it is time to take the children home. . . ." On and on he went. I cut him short: "I get you. Napier had Scinde. We have sinned."
Friday, June 2, 1995
