Karachi’s water crisis and the delayed K4 project struggle for completion

The K4 Project, aimed at solving Karachi's chronic water shortage, has faced numerous delays and setbacks since its announcement in 2004. Karachi, home to over 20 million people, requires 1,200 million gallons of water daily, but the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation can only supply half of that, leaving millions dependent on purchasing water.

The Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme, or K-4, was initiated to bring water from Kenjhar Lake in the Thatta district to Karachi. However, despite its initial cost estimate of Rs 25 billion and promises of completion within two years, the project faced design flaws, halting construction in 2018 after Rs 14 billion had already been spent. Work resumed under WAPDA in 2020, with the federal government taking over the funding and the project cost rising to Rs 126 billion.

Although a new foundation was laid in 2023 with hopes of delivering 260 million gallons of water daily by the end of 2024, the K-4 project’s future remains uncertain. For the water to reach Karachi’s homes, the K-4 Augmentation another Project—managed by the Sindh government and costing Rs 75 billion—must also be completed. This part of the project has yet to begin, and further delays are expected.

As the timeline for the K-4 Project remains uncertain, millions of Karachi residents are left in limbo, forced to rely on expensive and unreliable private water suppliers. The frustration among citizens is growing, Until the K-4 Project and its augmentation are operational, the city's water crisis is unlikely to be resolved.