Decision also taken to hold review meetings every 15 days to monitor progress and overcome obstacles.
KARACHI:
Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Friday directed authorities to ensure timely completion of Karachi’s strategic water infrastructure projects, terming the K-IV water supply project “extremely important” for the city’s future water security during a meeting with a World Bank (WB) official.
These remarks were made during a meeting with WB Country Director Bolormaa Amgaabazar in Karachi, during which the officials reviewed the progress made in water supply, infrastructure development and the K-IV augmentation project.
According to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s House, the meeting also discussed water metering, urban development works in informal settlements and reforms of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KW&SC).
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah held an important meeting with World Bank Country Director Bolorma Amgaabazar to review the progress made in Karachi’s water supply, infrastructure projects and K-IV augmentation project. #WB pic.twitter.com/6MeBhTpMbe
– Sindh Chief Minister’s House (@SindhCMHouse) May 29, 2026
“Effective water management and transparent governance are essential for Karachi’s growing population,” CM Shah said at the meeting. “Our goal is to build a modern and sustainable water supply system in Karachi with the support of the World Bank,” he added.
The chief minister ordered local government authorities and the mayor of Karachi to remove all “administrative and technical bottlenecks” affecting the projects.
It was also decided to hold review meetings every 15 days to monitor progress and overcome obstacles.
The officials informed the meeting members that work on the 2.7-kilometer shared corridor for the K-IV augmentation project had resumed on April 16. They said work on the installation of a 72-inch mild steel pipeline was underway, while work on a 96-inch pipeline would begin after the relocation of a Sui gas pipeline and restoration of the Nipa bridge.
Officials expressed hope that the corridor project would be completed by August this year.
Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah informed the meeting that a plan for the installation of 4,333 consumer water meters had been finalized and would be shared with the World Bank. “All consumer meters will be installed as planned by June 2027,” he said.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said 150 of the 212 rooms required for the system’s meters have already been completed.
The meeting also reviewed development works in Essa Nagri and Sobha Nagar.
Wahab said construction of a water storage tank and pipe cleaning works in Essa Nagri were underway, while water supply connections from the main pipeline would begin after Eid. He added that the paving work in Sobha Nagar is progressing and is expected to be completed by June 2026.
The meeting further discussed additional funding for water treatment plants under the Karachi Water and Sanitation Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP-II), as well as recruitment and institutional strengthening in the KWSC.
According to the statement, the issue of appointing members of the board of directors of the water company will be submitted to the next meeting of the provincial cabinet.
Initially launched in 2016 under the Sindh government and KWSC, the K-IV project quickly became embroiled in controversy over design flaws, mismanagement and rising costs. Originally estimated to cost 25 billion rupees and scheduled for completion within two years with equal federal and provincial funding, construction was halted in 2018 after only 20% progress.
The project – designed to provide a sustainable supply of 650 million gallons per day (MGD) to Karachi in three phases – is being jointly executed by the Sindh and federal governments. The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) is currently implementing Phase I, which aims to provide 260 MGD to the city.
In 2021, the federal government transferred the project to Wapda, which redesigned it before resuming construction in 2022. The project was initially expected to be completed by December 2025.
However, costs have since increased significantly. After being incorporated into the Karachi Transformation Plan 2020, a revised PC-1 prepared by WAPDA was approved in January 2022 amounting to Rs 126 billion. The current estimate now stands at Rs171 billion.
“About 65 percent of the work is complete, but progress has slowed because the federal government has released much less than the required Rs 40 billion for the current fiscal year. So far, Rs 85 billion has been released for the project,” said a Wapda official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Express PK Press Club in December last year.
In February, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal set December 2026 as the new deadline for the completion of the K-IV water supply project.
