PM Urged to Release Rs. 40 Billion Needed for K-IV Water Project in Karachi

The Jamaat-i-Islami has written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, expressing serious concern over Karachi’s worsening water crisis and urging the federal government to ensure the early completion of the K-IV water supply project.

In the letter, JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar referred to a report presented before a National Assembly committee, which stated that the first phase of the K-IV project is now expected to be completed in December 2029. The first phase is meant to supply 260 million gallons of water per day to the city.

Zafar called on the Sindh government to complete the K-IV augmentation component on a priority basis. He also urged the federal government to release all remaining funds required for the project within the current fiscal year so that its first phase can be completed without further delay.

Zafar said the report had caused widespread concern among Karachi residents. He noted that the city, with a population of around 35 million, is facing an acute water shortage.

He described it as deeply unfortunate that more than half the population of a city contributing over 50 percent of the country’s revenue continues to lack access to adequate water.

According to the letter, Karachi requires at least 1,200 million gallons of water per day but currently receives only around 550 million gallons, less than half of its daily requirement.

Project Delayed for Over Two Decades

Zafar said the last major water supply project completed for Karachi was K-III during the tenure of former city nazim Naimatullah Khan. He said the PC-II for the K-IV project had also been prepared during the same period to meet the city’s future water needs, but the project remains incomplete more than 21 years later.

He said the Sindh government blames the federal government for delays, while parties in the federal government hold the provincial administration responsible. However, he argued that Karachi residents can clearly see that both governments have failed to ensure timely completion of the project.

Funding Falls Short

Zafar said the Sindh government had failed to complete the K-IV augmentation project despite World Bank assistance. He added that the federal government had allocated only a fraction of the required funds.

Against a requirement of Rs40 billion, the federal government allocated only Rs3.2 billion for the project in the previous budget, while the current budget earmarked Rs8 billion. He said this reflected a lack of seriousness on the part of both governments.

He added that Karachi residents, despite making the largest contribution to provincial and federal revenues, are forced to spend billions of rupees annually on private water tankers due to the chronic shortage.

Had the K-IV project been completed on time, he said, citizens could have spent the hundreds of billions of rupees paid to the tanker business over the past two decades on education, healthcare and food instead.