Our least liveable city

KARACHI:

For decades, Karachi has remained Pakistan’s economic centre, generating the largest share of the country’s revenue and serving as a hub of trade, industry and employment. Yet despite its importance, the city continues to appear among the world’s least liveable urban centres, reflecting deep-rooted failures in infrastructure, public services, environment and security.

International liveability rankings have repeatedly highlighted Karachi’s struggles with inadequate civic facilities, weak urban planning, and declining quality of life. Behind these rankings are everyday realities faced by millions of residents: unreliable water supplies, overcrowded transport, damaged roads, piles of garbage and growing concerns about personal safety.

The city’s problems are not the result of a single failure but the outcome of years of delayed decision-making, poor coordination between government institutions and ineffective implementation of development plans. Major projects announced as solutions to Karachi’s challenges have often remained incomplete for years, while population growth has continued to place greater pressure on already stretched services.

Residents say these problems have become part of everyday life. Many spend thousands of rupees each month purchasing water that should have been supplied through the public network, endure hours in overcrowded public transport or traffic congestion caused by unfinished roads, and increasingly fear becoming victims of street crime even during daylight hours.

Together, these failures illustrate why Karachi continues to struggle in global liveability rankings. While successive federal and Sindh governments have announced ambitious development plans, many flagship projects remain years behind schedule, hampered by funding shortages, administrative delays, contractual disputes and allegations of corruption. As a result, millions of residents continue to bear the consequences of infrastructure that has failed to keep pace with the city's rapid growth.

A city without basics

Karachi’s water crisis remains one of the clearest examples of how governance failures have affected daily life. A city of nearly 30 million people requires an estimated 1.2 billion gallons of water every day but receives only around 650 million gallons, leaving a shortfall of approximately 550 million gallons.

Even this limited supply does not reach consumers effectively through the official distribution system. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) has struggled for years to provide reliable water through its pipeline network, creating conditions that have allowed informal and illegal water markets to expand.

According to officials and water experts, two parallel networks have emerged. One involves the illegal extraction and distribution of groundwater, while the other revolves around Karachi’s extensive tanker business.

Large quantities of water are allegedly stolen through underground networks operating under the cover of groundwater extraction. Illegal connections are reportedly made from KWSC’s bulk supply lines, after which stolen water is transported through underground pipelines to industrial and commercial areas.

At the same time, thousands of households depend on private water tankers because of unreliable municipal supplies. Although the Water Corporation operates seven official hydrants, dozens of illegal hydrants continue to operate across the city, allowing private suppliers to sell water at high prices.

For many residents, water has become a costly necessity rather than a basic public service. Muhammad Shafiq, who lives in a high-rise apartment building, said his residence has not received regular piped water for several years. “We have no option but to purchase water commercially,” he said, adding that residents spend around Rs30,000 every month to meet their water needs.

Despite repeated promises to resolve the crisis, two major water supply projects launched in 2016 have yet to provide the relief Karachi was promised.

The largest of these, the K-IV project, was designed to supply an additional 260 million gallons of water per day. Initiated under the supervision of the Sindh government and KWSC, the project was originally scheduled to be completed within two years.

However, construction stalled in 2018 because of planning and technical issues. Responsibility for the project was later transferred to the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), which redesigned the scheme in 2022 and resumed work with a revised completion target of December 2025.

Despite the restart, progress remains slow. Only around 68 per cent of the work has been completed due to funding constraints.

Three additional components of K-IV, including a power station, reconstruction of the Karachi Canal and the augmentation plan, remain under the Sindh government’s supervision. Work on these components started after considerable delays and continues to move slowly.

As a result, Karachi is unlikely to receive the additional water promised through K-IV within the timeframe originally envisioned.

A second water supply project, designed to provide an additional 65 million gallons per day, has faced similar delays. Launched in 2016, the project has remained stalled for years, with only around 15 per cent of the work completed.

The prolonged delay of these projects has left millions of residents dependent on private suppliers and informal arrangements, highlighting one of the biggest reasons Karachi continues to struggle in global liveability rankings.

Promises stuck in files

Karachi’s infrastructure crisis extends far beyond its water shortage. Across the city, major development projects launched to improve urban life remain incomplete years after approval, leaving residents to deal with the consequences of delayed planning and weak implementation.

The most visible failure is the absence of an effective public transport system. For more than two decades, experts have estimated that Karachi requires around 10,000 additional buses, yet authorities have failed to establish a network capable of serving a city of nearly 30 million people.

Only around 4,000 buses, minibuses and coaches currently operate across Karachi, many decades old and in poor condition. Millions of commuters therefore rely on overcrowded vehicles, long waits and unreliable services.

Although the Sindh government has introduced projects including the Green Line and Orange Line Bus Rapid Transit systems and the People’s Bus Service, residents and transport experts say these remain insufficient for the city’s needs.

The Green Line, Karachi’s first major Bus Rapid Transit project, was launched to address the transport crisis, but its expansion has faced repeated delays. The three-kilometre Phase II extension from Taj Medical Complex to Municipal Park remained stalled for nearly three years before construction resumed and is now expected to take another year.

The Orange Line, stretching 3.9 kilometres from Orangi Town Office to the Matric Board Office, was completed four years ago but has failed to attract significant ridership. It mainly functions as a feeder route connecting passengers to the Green Line at Nagan Chowrangi, while planned feeder services for interior areas of Orangi Town have yet to begin.

The larger transport projects have faced even longer delays.

The 27-kilometre Red Line Bus Rapid Transit project, connecting Malir Halt with Numaish Chowrangi, began in 2022 under TransKarachi with Asian Development Bank financing and was scheduled for completion in 2025. However, only around 45 per cent of the work has been completed.

Construction was suspended for six months in 2024. Following concerns raised by the Asian Development Bank, the Sindh government cancelled the contract for Lot 2, covering Mosamiyat to Numaish Chowrangi. The contractor challenged the decision in court, preventing the appointment of a replacement and leaving the main corridor suspended.

Only road rehabilitation along University Road and stormwater drain construction continue through the Frontier Works Organization, while work on Lot 1 from Mosamiyat Chowrangi to Malir remains slow. With repeated delays and legal disputes, completion within this decade appears uncertain.

The Yellow Line Bus Rapid Transit project has faced similar difficulties. The 26-kilometre corridor, financed through a World Bank loan, will connect Dawood Chowrangi with Numaish Chowrangi and is scheduled for completion in 2028.

Construction began in 2024 after years of delays, but progress slowed after authorities discovered an alleged procurement violation involving an advance payment of Rs8.5 billion to the contractor. Following complaints from the World Bank, the Sindh government took action against two officials, who were later arrested. The matter is now before the courts.

Beyond formal transport projects, Karachi’s streets have increasingly depended on informal systems due to the shortage of public transport. Around 40,000 Qingqi rickshaws operate across the city, many modified to carry additional passengers. Drivers often lack proper training and are accused of violating traffic regulations, contributing to congestion and disorder.

Transport experts argue that these informal networks are a result of government failure to provide reliable alternatives.

The city’s roads have suffered from the same pattern of poor planning and weak coordination. Major roads and neighbourhood streets have remained damaged for years, while repair work often creates further disruption because multiple agencies carry out projects simultaneously.

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, town administrations, cantonment boards and other civic bodies frequently excavate roads for separate schemes involving water pipelines, sewage systems and other infrastructure, leaving many areas dug up and worsening traffic congestion.

Karachi’s sewage treatment system has also remained incomplete for decades, leaving large volumes of wastewater untreated before entering the sea.

The Combined Effluent Treatment Plant, designed to treat industrial wastewater, was scheduled to begin construction in 2018 but never moved forward. The government has now decided to implement it through a public-private partnership.

The S-III domestic sewage treatment project, launched in 2016 under the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, also remains incomplete. Treatment Plant III currently processes only 25 million gallons of wastewater per day despite a designed capacity of 180 million gallons, while Treatment Plant I is expected to process 35 million gallons compared to its planned capacity of 100 million gallons.

For Karachi’s residents, these unfinished projects represent more than delayed infrastructure. They reflect years of promises that have failed to translate into meaningful improvements in daily life.

Living with insecurity

Karachi’s liveability crisis extends beyond infrastructure failures. Poor sanitation and rising crime have added to the difficulties faced by residents already struggling with unreliable public services.

Waste management remains one of the city’s most visible civic failures. From major roads to residential areas, piles of garbage reflect the inability of authorities to establish an effective collection and disposal system.

In 2016, the Sindh government transferred responsibility for solid waste management from local governments to the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), reducing the role of municipal administrations. Nearly a decade later, residents and civic experts say the promised improvement has not materialised.

Large parts of Karachi continue to face irregular garbage collection, particularly informal settlements, roadside areas and coastal communities where waste often remains for days. The failure has also worsened environmental problems, with the coastline already affected by untreated sewage and industrial waste.

For many residents, overflowing garbage has become another symbol of the gap between government plans and conditions on the ground.

The city’s security situation has further deepened concerns about quality of life.

During the second week of July, a series of robberies reinforced public fears that crime has become a routine part of urban life. In Gulshan-e-Hadeed, armed men robbed a mobile phone shop in broad daylight after smashing display cases and escaping with bags of phones.

The following day, Dr Akash Kumar was targeted on one of Clifton’s busiest roads after withdrawing money from a bank. Four armed men on motorcycles intercepted his vehicle, took the cash and shot him. He later died from his injuries. The incident occurred while District South Police were conducting a combing operation in the area.

Earlier, eight armed robbers entered the home of Hindu businessman Dharamdas in Gadap, held his family hostage and escaped with gold, cash and other valuables.

Official figures highlight the scale of Karachi’s crime challenge. According to Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) data, more than 65,000 crimes were reported in the city during 2025.

In the first six months of 2026 alone, more than 29,000 criminal incidents were recorded, including 846 car theft and carjacking cases, 18,824 motorcycle theft and snatching cases and more than 9,000 mobile phone snatching cases. During the same period, at least 80 extortion cases and 272 murders were reported, along with three kidnappings for ransom between February and April and a bank robbery in May.

However, residents say official figures capture only part of the problem. Many mobile phone snatching incidents go unreported because victims do not believe recovery is likely.

Ghulam Asghar, a resident of Gulshan-e-Hadeed, said mobile phone theft had become so common that many people only focused on blocking their SIM cards rather than approaching police.

CPLC data shows that in 2025 alone, Karachi recorded 38,513 motorcycle theft and snatching cases, more than 2,000 stolen or hijacked vehicle cases, over 100 extortion cases and 21 kidnappings for ransom.

Even affluent neighbourhoods such as Clifton have not remained unaffected despite surveillance cameras and additional security measures.

One reason cited for the continued crime problem is the deployment of a large portion of Karachi’s police force for VIP security and protocol duties. It is estimated that around 60 per cent of police personnel are assigned to protect important individuals rather than perform routine policing.

The Sindh government allocated Rs179 billion for law and order during the previous fiscal year and increased the allocation to Rs210 billion in the current fiscal year. Pakistan Rangers have also remained deployed in Karachi and other parts of Sindh for years to assist law enforcement operations.

Yet despite increased spending and the presence of multiple security agencies, many residents continue to question whether these measures have made the city safer.

For the locals of Karachi, the city’s poor position in global liveability rankings is not merely a statistic. It reflects daily struggles — finding water, navigating damaged roads, living among unmanaged waste and worrying about personal safety.

Karachi remains Pakistan’s economic engine, but years of delayed projects, weak coordination and administrative failures have prevented it from becoming a city that matches its importance.

Without improvements in basic services and governance, millions of residents will continue to experience the gap between Karachi’s potential and the reality of life in the city.