JI demands implementation of K-4

KARACHI:

Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Karachi ameer Hafiz Naeeumur Rehman has demanded the immediate implementation of the K-4 water project in order to overcome the water crisis.

Addressing a press briefing on Monday, Rehman said that the city, with a population of over 20 million, needed 1,250 million gallons of water daily (MGD) but only received 550MGD. He claimed that this was proof of the negligent attitude of the past and present federal and provincial governments towards the needs of Karachi’s residents.

Saying that the prevailing water crisis in the metropolis was due to the non-implementation of the K-4 project, he asserted that the estimated cost of the project had been Rs16 billion but it has now increased by Rs50 billion due to the apathy of the authorities. “If the previous governments had taken serious steps towards the resolution of the water issues, this situation would not have arisen,” he lamented, claiming that the project had been put aside after the departure of former city nazim Niamatullah Khan.

According to Rehman, around 65 per cent of the water supplied to Karachi was being wasted due to flaws in the distribution system. He believed that desalination plants should also be installed to overcome the water shortage. He further demanded a crackdown on illegal water hydrants in the city, saying that unbiased distribution of water was necessary in order to resolve the water crisis.

He added that JI Karachi has constituted a team of experts to carry out research on the basic issues and infrastructure of the metropolis.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 9^th, 2015.