Wahab shares his ambitious vision for future of Karachi

Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Sunday shared his ambitious vision for the future of the city, focusing on sustainable development, technological innovation and inclusive urban growth.

Speaking to a diverse audience at the 16th Karachi Literature Festival, Wahab highlighted the city’s longstanding challenges, and outlined transformative solutions to ensure a better quality of life for all its residents.

“The way and manner in which the population of Karachi has increased, that surge has not been complemented in the same manner with respect to the facilities that should have been available,” he said.

“Our vision is to address the water issues. I suggest we adopt technology to recycle and reuse water for industrial use and protect marine life, while also contributing to save the Arabian Sea.”

As part of his long-term plan to improve Karachi’s urban landscape, the mayor highlighted the need to eradicate slums from the city, citing successful examples from Jakarta’s urban planning model. He announced future projects focused on building vertical structures to provide modern housing for those living in underdeveloped areas.

“Vertical structures will be developed to improve the living standard of people currently living in shabby conditions. The land will still belong to the KMC [Karachi Metropolitan Corporation], the maintenance of the building will come from the private sector, and the residents will get a respectable place to live.”

Defending the role of public-private partnerships, he highlighted the KMC Nursing School Initiative — an innovative project providing free-of-charge education to 100 students under the KMC Scholarship Programme.

These students, upon the completion of their education, will have guaranteed jobs in one of the 14 hospitals operated by the KMC. “This initiative is a step towards improving public health care while empowering youth through quality education and job security,” he concluded.