Road closure and KIV

The K-IV project — formally known as the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme and informally referred to as University Road's dejected fate — was imagined to be completed by 2026. But a quick stroll (or an exceptionally slow drive) along its parameters will unabashedly provide evidence contrary to that claim. There are only 50 days left in the deadline for its first phase, a deadline reinstated since last year, yet as of mid-2025 the project was only 63 per cent complete. Whether the recent announcement of University Road's closure for these 50 days will see the phase to completion remains a speculation.

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has attempted to console an increasingly agitated public by claiming that the project will "ease city's water shortage", conveniently omitting the 'if ever completed' part. Meanwhile, as the road harbours six universities, thousands of students and commuters have been battling the dilapidated road, intense traffic congestion, endless noise pollution and consequential stress every single day for a long time. For them, the Chief Minister has a message: the government apologises for any inconvenience caused.

Even the primary benefit of the K-IV project's imagined completion remains dubious. According to current demands, Karachi requires around 1200 MGD (million gallons per day) for its population of over 20 million residents. After K-IV's completion, the city will have a projected supply of 1250 MGD in total — expected by 2027. But the fact that the current projection for Karachi's population in 2030 stands at almost 25 million will possibly render water supply inadequate yet again.

Incessant delays, ever-increasing budgets that aren't fulfilled and colossal mismanagement is making citizens wonder whether this 50-day closure will bring them further troubles with nothing to show for it. And if it bears no fruit, the public's trust will be buried in the excavated University Road itself, along with the pipelines.