Karachi is facing a major shortage of water since the last decade. The K-4 project was launched to address Karachi’s acute water shortage has not been completed yet. We bring you everything we know about the long-pending project which could be the solution to Karachi’s water problems.
What is K-4 Project?
K-4 project is a municipal infrastructure project, jointly developed by the provincial and federal government to increase the water supply in Karachi.
The project was set up in General Pervaiz Musharaf’s tenure in the year 2002. However, the work on the project was started in 2015. The project was designed to provide 650 million gallons of water daily from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi in three phases.
The initial cost of the project was approximately Rs 25.5 billion. The mega project has seen consistent delays with cost of construction rising manifold over the years. The current cost of completion for the project stands at Rs 150 billion.
Demand and Supply of water in Karachi
Due to the negligence of Sindh Government and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), the water supply system has not been upgraded for 13 years. As a result of this, the people of Karachi are deprived of water as per requirements.
According to the figures submitted by KWSB, Karachi needs 918 million gallons of water per day (MGD), while the supply of water is only 406 MDG. Approximately 580 MDG of water is supplied to the pump houses but 30 percent of the water is wasted.
Karachi should receive a total of 750 million gallons of water daily from the Indus and Hub Dam, but due to the lack of capacity in the water board system and in the pumps of Dhabeji, Karachi receives only 580 MGD of water. Moreover, 303 percent of the water is wasted due to negligence and only 406 MGD water remained in the water board system.
The Current situation of K-4 Project
After 12 years and spending billions of rupees, the K-Four project continues to be in conflict. Sometimes feasibility reports are missed and sometimes flaws appeared in the design. Over time the canal’s structural plan was changed about 14 times. Since 2007, about Rs 14 billion has been spent on the k-4 project while the cost of the project has increased from 100 billion to 150 billion.
The Sindh government has said that the federal government is also associated with the project. The provincial government is asking for more funds from the federal government.
Completion of K-4 project
As per plans of the K-4 project, the water will reach the relevant site of the superhighway outside Karachi from Keenjhar Lake. Pumping station will also be constructed for increasing water capacity. According to the reports, the project will be completed in the next 3 years by June 30, 2021 but doubts remain over this.
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