Latest news with #K-IV
Business Recorder
18-05-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
KW&SC board approves ‘Master Plan 2050'
KARACHI: A meeting of the Board of Directors of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KW&SC) was held under the chairmanship of Mayor Karachi and Chairman KW&SC, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, which focused on major developments including the approval of the Master Plan 2050 and legal measures to prevent water theft. The meeting was attended by Commissioner Karachi Syed Hassan Naqvi, Dr Sarosh Lodhi, Abdul Kabir Qazi, Tanzil Pirzada, Zafar Sobani, CEO KW&SC Ahmed Ali Siddiqui, COO Engineer Asadullah Khan, and other board members. During the session, the minutes of the previous (ninth) board meeting were approved, while several significant agenda items were passed in the tenth meeting. Water board asked to fast-track execution of K-IV project A detailed discussion was held on the Master Plan 2050, which aims to improve water supply and drainage systems in Karachi over the long term. Mayor Murtaza Wahab directed that the implementation of Master Plan 2050 be expedited to ensure better water and sewerage services for the city's residents. The Board also considered legal amendments to combat water theft more effectively. A formal request will be submitted to the Sindh Government to provide the Water Corporation with the authority to confiscate properties of individuals involved in water theft. Additionally, key appointments were approved to strengthen the organizational structure. Muhammad Ammar Khan was appointed as Chief Financial Officer, Jamshed Raza as Chief Human Resource Officer, Naveed Afzal as Chief Strategy Officer, and Saadat Anwar as Chief Information Technology Officer. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
14-04-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Ahsan Iqbal urges Sindh to prioritise Karachi's infrastructure
Listen to article Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal has urged the Sindh government to prioritise the development of Karachi's infrastructure, particularly the K-IV water supply project, calling the city Pakistan's economic and financial hub, Express News reported. Speaking to the media following a meeting with members of the Pakistan Business Council, Iqbal said the federal government is investing Rs125b into the K-IV project and expects the provincial government to fulfill its responsibilities regarding downstream components. He emphasised that Karachi, being the economic runway of Pakistan, must receive focused infrastructural support. 'The federal government has already approved Rs5b for road construction in the SITE industrial area,' he noted. Iqbal highlighted that the federal government will play an active role in enhancing Karachi's infrastructure, referencing the successful completion of the Green Line BRT project, which saw a Rs25b investment. During the briefing, he stressed the need to harness the potential of the corporate sector as the primary engine of economic growth. He explained that public sector capacity to attract investment has diminished due to ongoing crises, making the role of private enterprise more crucial. He further noted that the government has launched several initiatives to boost youth skills in the IT sector and intends to collaborate with the corporate sector to meet global environmental standards. He praised corporate efforts to support women and persons with disabilities, urging continued improvements in these areas. 'We will form a working group within the Planning Ministry to address private sector challenges on priority,' he added. 'The Pakistan Business Council has pledged its cooperation and its research continues to assist in shaping effective economic policies.' Iqbal reiterated that public-private partnerships would be key to activating unutilised government assets and land. Additionally, he confirmed that work on the Hyderabad-Sukkur Motorway will begin in 2025, with completion expected within three years. The Ministry of Communications has also started feasibility work for a new alignment of the Hyderabad-Karachi Motorway. Concluding his remarks, Iqbal called for wastewater recycling in Karachi, suggesting its reuse in agriculture and industry, which would help address the city's water needs sustainably.
Express Tribune
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Sindh govt announces free 'pink scooters' for women
Listen to article The Sindh government has announced a scheme to award free 'pink scooters' to women through a lottery system, aimed at empowering female commuters in the province, Express News reported on Thursday. Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon unveiled the initiative during a press conference in Karachi, highlighting the government's commitment to supporting women's mobility. 'A driving licence is mandatory for women to participate in the scheme,' Memon said, adding that the lucky draw would be held at an open event. The initiative follows the provincial government's launch of the 'Pink Bus' service in 2023, dedicated to female passengers. Memon also announced plans to introduce a 'pink taxi' service, with women drivers behind the wheel. The minister said the schemes aimed to promote women's independence and provide safe transportation options. Moreover, the minister announced that all vehicles in Sindh will be registered under a unified system. The announcement comes amid rising traffic-related casualties in the provincial capital, where more than 130 people have died and over 1,800 injured in accidents this year, according to reports. In comparison, nearly 500 fatalities were recorded in 2024. The spike in accidents has triggered protests, with angry mobs setting vehicles involved in collisions on fire. Memon said the Sindh government had formed a committee to address road safety concerns, while proceeds from auctioning number plates would be transferred to the provincial government. 'The decision will help streamline vehicle registration across the province,' Memon said at a press conference. He also criticised the federal government, claiming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had promised 180 buses for Karachi but none were included in the federal budget for 2025. 'We will write a letter to the Prime Minister, urging him to fulfil his promise,' Memon added. The minister announced the Sindh cabinet had approved the Dow Science Foundation's establishment and sanctioned additional buses for the province. The cabinet also approved the K-IV water project for Keenjhar Lake and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Line project.
Express Tribune
17-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
No end to water woes as K-IV hits another snag
KARACHI: The water crisis has been plaguing most areas of Karachi for years. The city, which is supplied 650 million gallons of water per day from two sources, the Indus River and the Hub Dam, has a daily requirement of 1200 million gallons. Yet even after the passage of nearly two decades, the shortage of 550 million gallons could not be addressed. Launched in 2016 under the supervision of the Sindh government and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), the K-IV project set out to supply 260 million gallons per day of water to Karachi. In 2021, the federal government took over the project, handing it over to the Water and Power Development Agency (WAPDA). Under the new plan, its cost reached Rs126 billion, and construction was to be completed by December 2025. According to WAPDA's General Manager South and the Project Director of K-IV Aamir Mughal, thus far 55 per cent of the work on K-IV has been completed however, due to power supply issues and other reasons, the project's completion has been delayed to June 2026, with its cost likely to be increased by 20 per cent due to the high cost of materials," said Mughal. As per sources of the Express Tribune at WAPDA, even if this important project is completed in time, the citizens will not benefit from the additional supply of water since the three other projects associated with the K-IV are still stuck in limbo. While one project is under construction and will be completed in two years, work on the other two has not even started. The most important of these is the Augmentation Plan, which involves the construction of an underground pipeline of K-IV from Keenjhar Lake to the Kathore area of Karachi, after which a system of bulk lines for the inner city, spanning about 100 kilometres, will be established. This project will be completed in two years. The second project, the construction of a power station, involves a 132 KV transmission line that will be installed from the Jhampir Grid Station to the K-IV pumping complex near Keenjhar Lake, enabling the pumping complex to supply 50 MW of electricity. The construction work on the project will start soon and will be completed by December 2025. Likewise, the Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder Lining Project, involves the cleaning and expansion of a 38-mile long canal that supplies water to the Keenjhar Lake. This will remove any obstructions in the flow of 260 million gallons per day from the Indus River to Keenjhar Lake. This project too will be completed in two years. Dr Syed Nawaz Al-Huda, a regional planner, was of the opinion that the Sindh government should be held accountable for the delay in the construction of the power plant, installation of bulk lines and the KB Feeder Lining Project. "Even if the federal government completes the K-IV project on time, water might not be available since the Sindh administration has deliberately delayed resolving the water crisis. Where water projects continue to face delays, executive engineers have strengthened the dirty business of the tanker mafia by creating an artificial crisis in posh and middle-class areas, due to which people are forced to buy tankers at high prices," confirmed Al-Huda. According to a survey conducted by The Express Tribune, the connivance of the top officials of the KWSC with the tanker mafia has created an artificial water crisis in the city, which is particularly affecting areas like Clifton, Defence, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 13D-2 and 13D-3, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad, Liaquatabad and the Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (P.E.C.H.S) among other areas. The Express Tribune tried contacting the Secretary of Irrigation Zarif Khedro to confirm the news concerning the delay in the completion of K-IV, but he chose not to respond.
