K-IV delays

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Karachi has been desperately water-stressed for longer than many of its citizens have been alive, but after almost a decade of work on a solution that millions had pinned their hopes on, the project is still several years behind schedule. The Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) was designed to alleviate Karachi's chronic water crisis by delivering 650 million gallons per day (MGD) from Keenjhar Lake, but the project's first phase, which was supposed to deliver 260 MGD, is still only at 63% completion, with its 2026 deadline hanging by a thread.

Incidentally, the first phase was kicked off by the Sindh government in 2016 and was supposed to be completed by 2019; but in 2018, with only 20% of work done, the project was shelved. In 2021, the federal government reallocated the project to Wapda, where it underwent a redesign that resulted in a new completion date of the end of 2025 and a cost estimate increase from Rs26 billion to Rs125 billion.

The cost has now risen by another Rs30 billion, according to reports, while completion is almost sure to miss the new 2026 deadline. This is because the 2025-26 federal budget allocated a mere Rs3.2 billion against Wapda's requested Rs40 billion — a 92% shortfall. The Sindh government, which is still involved in the project, has allocated a paltry Rs100 million. Wapda warns that without "uninterrupted funds", the 2026 target is unattainable. Meanwhile, Karachi's water deficit now stands at 550 MGD, meaning that the entire K-IV project would barely cover the shortfall.

And even if the K-IV project itself is only slightly delayed, the Sindh government's work on the water supply network has barely started. That work is scheduled for completion in 2029, which is another deadline that is certain to be missed because of a lack of funding. Other supporting infrastructure work is also well behind schedule. It is becoming a foregone conclusion that by the time anyone receives a drop of water through the K-IV project, the city will be even more water-stressed than it is today.