Water board asked to fast-track execution of K-IV project
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, while presiding over a meeting to review the progress of the K-IV Augmentation Project, expressed serious concern over a burst water line at Karachi University and instructed the water board to repair it and restore the water supply immediately.
'This is unacceptable, that every day one or the other water transmission line bursts, ultimately the citizens have to suffer, therefore it must be resolved once and for all,' he said.
The meeting held at the CM House was attended by Energy Minister Nasir Shah, Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Planning and Development Chairman Najam Shah, Local Government Secretary Khalid Hyder Shah, MD Water Board Ahmad Ali Siddiqui, and Project Director KWSSIP.
At the outset of the meeting, the Chief Minister expressed his dissatisfaction and directed the water board to conduct a comprehensive survey of all old lines and develop a five-year plan for their repair/replacement. 'The water board needs to strengthen its system,' he emphasised.
K-IV Augmentation: Reviewing the progress on the Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme (K-IV Augmentation Works, KWSSIP-II), the Chief Minister emphasised the strategic importance of the project in addressing Karachi's chronic water shortage and urged all relevant agencies to remove administrative bottlenecks immediately.
The chief minister directed the Local Government Department to expedite the tendering process and secure all necessary No Objection Certificates (NOCS) to ensure that physical work on the Rs 71.8 billion K-IV Augmentation Project begins within the next three months.
The K-IV Augmentation Project is being implemented by the Local Government Department with financial support from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the World Bank, and the Sindh government.
The project comprises multiple packages, including Package A: Water transmission main from Reservoir 1 to Y-Junction. Package B1: Transmission from Reservoir R2 to Federal Urdu University. Package B2: From Federal Urdu University to Gul Bai, and Package C: From R3 to Banaras, and a 2.7 km common corridor shared with the Karachi Bus Rapid Transit (KBRT) system
The project's design, was finalised and reviewed by the international Austrian firm, in line with Planning Commission directives. Bid documents were prepared and are being updated by the supervision consultant.
The process for hiring a Construction Supervision Consultant (CSC) has already begun. The Technical and Financial Proposals' Technical Evaluation Report (TER) was approved by the World Bank. The Financial Opening took place last month, and the Contract Evaluation Report (CER) was shared with the World Bank. Following No Objection Letter (NOL) clearance, the letter of award was issued on May 6, and the contract, v is expected to be signed on May 12, 2025.
To facilitate the project, 18 different agencies were approached for NOCS. So far, NOCs have been secured from seven agencies.
Chief Minister Shah reiterated his commitment to accelerating the delivery of the K-IV Augmentation Project to ensure equitable access to clean drinking water for Karachi's growing population.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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