Karachi's water wait stretches to 2029

KARACHI: Federal and provincial officials have told a National Assembly panel that the first phase of the long-delayed K-IV water supply project for Karachi is now expected to be completed by December 2029, pushing back hopes of relief for the city’s chronic water shortages.

The revised timeline came during a meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Planning, Development and Special Initiatives, chaired by Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani. According to a statement issued after the session, officials briefed lawmakers on the project’s progress, implementation difficulties and legal complications that have continued to slow work on the scheme.

The statement said officials informed the committee that coordination with the Water and Power Development Authority and legal issues linked to the augmentation component being carried out by the Sindh government with World Bank assistance had hampered progress. They told the panel that, despite the commitment of both the federal and provincial governments to complete the project as early as possible, it could still take another two years. Officials added that the first phase of K-IV, planned to provide 260 million gallons per day to Karachi, was expected to be ready by December 2029.

The update prompted concern from committee members, who questioned the repeated delays and called for tighter monitoring of implementation. In response to the demand, Mr Gilani formed a special committee headed by MNA Farhan Chishti to consult stakeholders and submit a detailed report to the standing committee.

Lawmakers raise concerns over Sindh allocations

The meeting was attended by committee members Zulfiqar Bachani, Naz Baloch, Farhan Chishti, Akhtar Bibi and Sami-ul-Hassan Gilani, among others. Special invitees from Sindh included PPP MNAs Ejaz Jakhrani, Dr Nafisa Shah, Dr Sharmila Faruqui, Shabbir Bijarani and Shahryar Khan Mahar, as well as MQM-P lawmakers Arshad Vohra, Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan and Asiya Ishaq. Federal Secretary for Planning and Development Awais Sumra, Sindh Planning and Development Board Chairman Najam Ahmed Shah, and senior officials from the Karachi Port Trust, National Highway Authority, Sindh Local Government Department and federal and provincial planning departments were also present.

Lawmakers from Sindh also voiced concern over what they described as inadequate allocations for the province’s development schemes in the current federal budget. They said several ongoing projects had already suffered because of limited funding, while newly approved and under-construction schemes were also facing financial pressure.

Responding to the criticism, Planning Secretary Awais Sumra said the federal government had reduced development spending because of fiscal constraints. He told the meeting that Rs192 billion had been allocated for Sindh’s development projects out of the Rs1 trillion federal development budget for the current financial year. He also acknowledged that reductions made at the close of each financial year often disrupt work and delay project completion.

M-6 motorway delay also comes under criticism

The committee also took up the Hyderabad-Sukkur M-6 Motorway, with members and invited lawmakers sharply criticising the federal government for not releasing sufficient funds for the project. They described the motorway as an important national corridor rather than only a Sindh scheme, and questioned why the Lahore-Bahawalnagar Motorway had received timely financial backing while M-6 had continued to face delays.

Mr Sumra told the committee that the government did not have enough resources to execute the project on its own and therefore had to pursue financing through international financial institutions, a process he said would take time. Committee members rejected the explanation and urged chairman Gilani to convey their concerns to the prime minister and relevant federal ministers for immediate intervention.

Participants also recommended calling the NHA chairman and the federal communications secretary to brief the committee and answer lawmakers’ concerns. They further stressed that, along with early construction of the M-6 Motorway, roads in Sindh managed by the NHA should also be upgraded to improve connectivity and support economic activity across the country.

The committee statement quoted Mr Gilani as saying the session had been deliberately held in Karachi to focus on Sindh’s longstanding development concerns and to push for what he called the province’s rightful share of federal development resources. “The committee has deliberately convened its session in Karachi to directly address Sindh’s longstanding development concerns,” the statement quoted Mr Gilani as stating. “We want Sindh to receive its rightful share of federal development resources. Bridging the gap between the federal and provincial governments and promoting greater harmony among the provinces are essential to ensuring that no province is left behind in the country’s development.”