Karachi’s K-IV water project: 24 years of delays

Karachi has waited more than two decades for the K-IV water project, yet millions of residents are still struggling with a severe water shortage.

The project was announced in 2002 to help meet Karachi’s growing water needs. Construction finally began in 2016, but design flaws, poor construction and delays resulted in billions of rupees being wasted. In 2022, the project was restarted under WAPDA, with the first phase expected to supply Karachi with 260 million gallons of water per day.

But a crucial question remains: Even if K-IV brings water to Karachi, how will that water reach the people?

The K-IV Augmentation Project, designed to connect the new water supply with Karachi’s distribution network, has faced further delays and serious concerns over the quality of pipeline installation.

In this episode of On My Radar, we examine:

• Why has K-IV taken more than two decades?
• What happened to billions spent on the project?
• How much of the WAPDA-led project has actually been completed?
• Why is the K-IV Augmentation Project facing delays?
• What are the concerns raised over pipeline quality?
• Can Karachi finally receive the water promised under K-IV?