Hub dam project to be inaugurated by Aug 13

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab says project completed at a cost of 12.8b

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KARACHI:

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab announced on Wednesday that the Hub Dam water supply project will be inaugurated on August 13.

Speaking to media outside the Supreme Court Karachi Registry, Wahab said propaganda was being spread using old videos regarding the new canal supplying water from Hub Dam to the city.

"After 22 years, it is due to the efforts of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) that the city is receiving additional water," he said.

He stated that the project, completed at a cost of Rs12.8 billion within a record time of 10 months, is ready for inauguration. “If the propaganda were true, this inauguration would not be happening,” he said.

The mayor clarified that work on the project has been completed and that trial runs are standard procedure before launching large-scale initiatives. “Such issues are common in concrete work, and the purpose of testing is to detect and resolve problems beforehand,” he said.

Wahab added that a one-year warranty period has been set post-completion, under which the contractor is responsible for any required repairs. He dismissed allegations against the project as baseless.

“All standards were maintained during construction. The noise of propaganda is drowning out the news of additional water supply to the city,” he said.

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“Propaganda is being spread to sabotage the water supply project.”

He said the Hub Dam had previously supplied 100 million gallons of water daily to Karachi, but due to a 45-year-old transmission system, the supply had fallen to 60 million gallons per day. “The new canal project will again deliver 100 million gallons of water daily,” he said. “After this, the old canal will be repaired. Once both systems are functional, the water supply from Hub to Karachi will be doubled.”

The project is expected to benefit residents of District West, Keamari, and Central.

Commenting on federal funding, Wahab referred to earlier statements by the Governor of Sindh. “He said on TV that Rs40 billion have been received from the federal government. I remind him that he had promised Rs100 billion. If Rs40 billion have been received, transfer them to the KMC account and serve the city.”

He also criticized the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), saying that “China-cutting,” land commercialization, and resource plundering are remnants of its era. “We also remember the body bags, extortion, and kidnappings for ransom,” he said. “The city's fundamental problems began during MQM’s time.”

Wahab expressed his willingness to work with other parties for the city's development. “The city's hopes are tied to its political leaders,” he said. “We want chaos to end. Everyone must work together for the betterment of Karachi.”

He added, “I am ready to sit with MQM, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Jamaat-e-Islami for the betterment of the city.”