Sindh CM reviews Karachi water projects, stresses timely completion of K-IV scheme in meeting with WB official

Decision also taken to hold review meetings every 15 days to monitor progress and address hurdles

KARACHI:

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday directed authorities to ensure the timely completion of Karachi’s strategic water infrastructure projects, describing the K-IV water supply scheme as “extremely important” for the city’s future water security in a meeting with an official from the World Bank (WB).

The remarks came during a meeting with WB Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar in Karachi, where officials reviewed progress on water supply, infrastructure development, and the K-IV augmentation project.

According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister's House, the meeting also discussed water metering, urban development works in informal settlements, and reforms in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KW&SC).

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah held an important meeting with World Bank Country Director Bolorma Amgaabazar to review progress on Karachi’s water supply, infrastructure projects, and the K-IV augmentation project. #WB pic.twitter.com/6MeBhTpMbe

— Sindh Chief Minister House (@SindhCMHouse) May 29, 2026

“Effective water management and transparent governance are essential for Karachi’s growing population,” CM Shah said during the meeting. “Our objective is to build a modern and sustainable water supply system in Karachi with the support of the World Bank,” he added.

The chief minister directed local government authorities and the Karachi mayor to remove all “administrative and technical bottlenecks” affecting the projects.

A decision was also taken to hold review meetings every 15 days to monitor progress and address hurdles.

Officials briefed the meeting's members that work on the 2.7-kilometre shared corridor for the K-IV augmentation project had resumed on April 16. They said installation work on a 72-inch mild steel pipeline was underway, while work on a 96-inch pipeline would begin after relocation of a Sui gas pipeline and restoration of the Nipa Bridge.

Authorities expressed hope that the corridor project would be completed by August this year.

Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah informed the meeting that a plan for the installation of 4,333 consumer water meters had been finalised and would be shared with the World Bank. “All consumer meters will be installed according to schedule by June 2027,” he said.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said 150 out of 212 required chambers for system meters had already been completed.

The meeting also reviewed development work in Essa Nagri and Sobha Nagar.

Wahab said construction of a water storage tank and drain cleaning work in Essa Nagri was underway, while water supply connections from the main line would begin after Eid. He added that paver block work in Sobha Nagar was progressing and expected to be completed by June 2026.

The meeting further discussed additional funding for water treatment plants under the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP-II), as well as recruitment and institutional strengthening within KWSC.

According to the statement, the matter of appointing board members to the water corporation would be placed before the next provincial cabinet meeting.

Originally launched in 2016 under the Sindh government and the KWSC, the K-IV project soon became embroiled in controversy over design flaws, mismanagement, and rising costs. Initially estimated at Rs25 billion and scheduled for completion within two years through equal federal and provincial funding, construction was halted in 2018 after only 20 per cent progress.

The project — designed to provide a sustainable supply of 650 million gallons per day (MGD) to Karachi in three phases — is being jointly executed by the Sindh and federal governments. The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is currently implementing Phase I, which aims to supply 260 MGD to the city.

In 2021, the federal government transferred the project to Wapda, which redesigned it before resuming construction in 2022. The scheme was initially targeted for completion by December 2025.

However, costs have since surged dramatically. After being incorporated into the Karachi Transformation Plan in 2020, a revised PC-1 prepared by WAPDA was approved in January 2022 at Rs126 billion. The current estimate now stands at Rs171 billion.

“About 65 per cent of the work is complete, but progress has slowed because the federal government released far less than the Rs40 billion required for the current fiscal year. To date, Rs85 billion has been released for the project,” a Wapda official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune in December last year.

In February, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal set December 2026 as a brand-new deadline for completion of the K-IV water supply project.