'Two new water pipelines approved'

Project worth Rs13b is meant to supply clean water

KARACHI:

City Mayor Murtaza Wahab has announced that the Sindh government has approved the installation of two new water supply pipelines at a cost of Rs13 billion to mitigate the water woes of the metropolitan city.

"The project is expected to be completed within a year," he said during a press briefing on Saturday. "In the current fiscal year, the Sindh government has set aside Rs125 billion for various development schemes in Karachi, with Rs77 billion allocated to enhance the city's water and sewage infrastructure."

During a visit to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation's treatment plant 3 (TP3) on Mauripur Road, the mayor revealed that the plant is now operational, treating and discharging 35 million gallons of water into the sea each day to protect marine life. "This initiative is part of a broader plan to recycle and reuse water in Karachi, a first for Pakistan," he added. "The treated water will be tested in lab to assess its suitability for industrial and construction uses."

Wahab also announced plans for a fourth treatment plant at Ibrahim Hyderi, with advertisements already published. The TP3 plant purifies 280 million gallons of water per day, and another 100 million gallons are processed at TP1. The mayor said that no extra funds were required to make TP3 operational; the water is stored in lagoons for 14 days, which not only purifies it but also generates biodiesel before being discharged into the sea.

Mayor Wahab heaped praise on the PPP for "addressing Karachi's issues and aligning with the manifesto of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari." He criticised the lack of innovation in the country, arguing that bold decisions are necessary for development.

While responding to media queries, the mayor criticised those "who only recognise improvements in certain areas like Bahadurabad while ignoring developments in other parts of the metropolis."