Completion of K-IV project among top priorities of govt, World Bank delegation told

A delegation of the World Bank (WB) visited the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation’s (KWSC) Dhabeji Pumping Station on Monday where it carried out a detailed inspection.

According to a statement issued by the water corporation, the WB delegation comprised the donor agency’s global director Saroj Kumar Jha, senior infrastructure expert Khairi Al-Jamal and Practice Manager Josses Mugabi.

They met KWSC Chief Operating Officer (COO) Engineer Asadullah Khan, Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) Project Director Usman Muazzam, Chief Engineer Irrigation Mir Ghulam Ali Talpar and other senior officials.

The COO gave a detailed briefing to the WB delegation about the pumping station, after which the two sides discussed how to further improve the water supply system to the city from the Dhabeji Pumping Station.

The WB delegation assured the KWSC authorities of their full cooperation for the improvement of the water supply and drainage system in the city. In addition, the delegation also reviewed the progress and ongoing work on the K-IV project at Chalia, Thatta.

On the occasion, the KWSSIP project director and K-IV Project Director Aamir Mughal briefed the delegation about the project and said that the main objective of the K-IV project was to make the water delivery system in Karachi better and more sustainable.

Moazzam said that in its first phase, the K-IV project would supply 260 million gallons of water per day to the city and it was currently under construction in Thatta and Malir districts. The project would be able to provide water to Karachi with the help of three reservoirs from the Keenjhar Lake in Thatta, which is 100 kilometres away from the city.

The officials explained that the K-IV was a very important project to address the water shortage issue in Karachi. They said that a structure for a total of 650 million gallons of water per day is being constructed under the K-IV Project.

Under this project, a gravity channel of 650 million gallons of water per day is to be constructed up to the Keenjhar Pumping Complex and three reservoirs and pumping stations of 260 million gallons of water per day will be constructed near the Northern Bypass, northeastern Karachi and Pipri Filter Plant.

They said the completion of the K-IV project was among the government’s top priorities and in this regard, measures were being taken on an emergency basis for the early completion of the project.