Water project stuck in the pipeline

Six years after its closure, the 65 MGD project is still far from reaching completion

Due to a lack of interest of the Sindh government, the most important water project for Karachi, the 65 million gallons per day (MGD) has been closed for over six years, with little signs of progress in the near future.

Karachi has been facing a severe water crisis for over two decades. The city's population is more than 30 million, with the daily water requirement surpassing 1,200 million gallons. The water supply, however, is only 520 million gallons daily, with a shortfall of 680 million gallons. Due to the negligence of the provincial government, the 65 MGD project was closed in 2019.

The original Project Cost-I (PC-1) of the project was estimated at around Rs6 billion, however, these funds were not released in time and due to the increasing cost of construction materials, there was a need to increase PC-1 to Rs11 billion.

Even after the approval of the new budget, funds were not released, due to which the cost of the project increased further. Only Rs30 million have been allocated for this project in the current financial year and now the project is being considered for a re-tender.

An official from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KW&SC) revealed on the condition of anonymity that the 65 MGD additional water project was approved by the Sindh government in 2014 and Rs1 billion was allocated in the budget of 2017 however, due to a lack of funds, development work happened only partially.

"Construction work started in 2018, but some top officials removed the engineers working for the project and appointed their favorite personnel who had no experience or fieldwork. These incompetent engineers declared the design of the project unsuitable, due to which construction work stopped for 10 months. Later the Sindh government transferred appointed new staff and the project resumed but only Rs150 million was released from the funds approved by the provincial government. Hence, only 15 per cent of the work could be completed. The Sindh government took one-and-a-half years to approve revision PC-1," said the official.

The official further revealed that the second major reason behind the delay in the project was the increase in its cost, due to which construction work on the project had been closed since 2019. "The Sindh government approved a revision PC-1 of Rs11 billion in 2021 and also allocated Rs9 billion in the budget for 2022-23 however, the required funds have still not been provided," said the official.

According to the official, in the budget for 2025-2026, only Rs30 million has been allocated for this project. The dues of the contractors will also be paid from this fund. "Although the Sindh government has approved the revised PC-1, due to non-timely release of funds and such a long closure, the cost of the project has now increased even more," informed the official.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Project Director Zafar Palijo confirmed that the project had been closed for six years. "Mayor Karachi and Chairman Karachi Water Corporation Murtaza Wahab have included this project in their priorities, and they want to complete it. The minimum offer will be sent to the Planning and Development Department of the Sindh government for approval," said Palijo.