Unpaid water bills

Karachi, a city of over 20 million people, is battling a severe water shortage, with nearly half of its residents struggling to access a basic necessity of life. Yet, amidst this crisis, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) is grappling with the non-recovery of more than Rs20 billion from federal government institutions in unpaid water bills. This staggering amount, left unpaid since 2016, is a glaring indictment of poor governance and systemic neglect - incompetence of the highest level.

The defaulters include some of the country's most prominent federal entities, such as Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim Authority, Pakistan Railways, and Pakistan International Airlines. These institutions, entrusted with national assets and services, have failed to honour their financial obligations to the KWSC, leaving the water utility in a precarious financial position. The steel mill alone owes over Rs10 billion, a figure made more troubling by revelations that it continued to supply water to 88 industries on a commercial basis without settling its dues. Karachi's water infrastructure is already stretched to its limits, with ageing pipelines and inadequate distribution networks. The Rs20 billion owed to the KWSC can be used to upgrade infrastructure and expand water supply for mitigating the city's chronic water scarcity. Instead, the utility is left cash-strapped, unable to meet the growing demands of a rapidly expanding metropolis.

The directive from the Public Accounts Committee of the Sindh Assembly to engage the federal government for the recovery of these dues is a necessary step, but lack of accountability and financial discipline within government institutions must also simultaneously be addressed. Mechanisms must be established to ensure timely payment of utility bills, with strict penalties for non-compliance to deter future defaults. The KWSC, too, must strengthen its billing and recovery systems to prevent such massive accumulations of unpaid dues.