Murad, World Bank review Karachi water projects and K-IV progress

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah met World Bank Country Director Bolorma Amgaabazar on Friday to review progress on Karachi’s water supply and infrastructure schemes, with discussions centring on the K-IV augmentation project, according to a press release issued by the Chief Minister House.

The chief minister said the Sindh government, with World Bank support, was working to build a modern and sustainable water supply system for Karachi. He described the K-IV scheme as critical to meeting the city’s future water needs and instructed the relevant authorities to clear technical and administrative obstacles so the project could be completed on schedule.

In the meeting, Murad also stressed the importance of water management and transparent governance in view of Karachi’s fast-rising population. The two sides additionally discussed water metering, urban improvement work in informal settlements, and ongoing reforms in the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC).

Provincial ministers Nasir Shah and Jam Khan Shoro, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, senior government officials and World Bank representatives were also present.

K-IV project timeline and scope

Earlier, the chief minister had directed authorities to keep work on the K-IV project moving at an accelerated pace while carefully managing construction in densely populated areas where utility lines already exist. Speaking on the broader need for infrastructure delivery, he said Karachi’s growing population required an efficient and modern water supply network and that all ongoing projects should be finished on time and to high quality standards.

The K-IV project was originally launched in the early 2000s to address Karachi’s long-running water shortage, but it has since gone through repeated revisions, rising costs and bureaucratic delays. The scheme is designed to provide 650 million gallons per day to Karachi in three phases and is being carried out jointly by the Sindh and federal governments.

At present, Phase I is being implemented by the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), with a target of supplying 260 million gallons per day to the city. The project encountered another hurdle last year when the federal government earmarked Rs3.2 billion in the budget against a required Rs40bn for the scheme.

In February, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal set a new completion deadline of December 2026 and directed the authorities concerned to speed up work on the project.