The S-3 Project: How Karachi’s PKR 150 billion plan fell apart

Billions spent, 17 years wasted, and Karachi’s coastline is still drowning in untreated sewage and industrial waste.

The S-3 Project, launched in 2007 to treat 460 million gallons of sewage daily, has become a glaring symbol of poor planning and mismanagement.

With costs skyrocketing from PKR 8 billion to a staggering PKR 150 billion, the project’s scope has significantly reduced, leaving Karachi’s coastline among the most polluted in the world.

Marine life is dying, public health is at risk, and experts warn the city is running out of time. Can Karachi’s marine ecosystem still be saved? Nukta’s Akhtiar Khokhar investigates the fallout of this environmental crisis.