K-IV water project: Wapda awards Rs1.1b contract for consultancy services

ISLAMABAD: The Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) on Thursday awarded the contract worth Rs1.14 billion for unified consultancy services for Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) to a Joint Venture (JV) through an international competitive bidding.

To this effect, the award signing ceremony between Wapda and the JV for the project was held here. The JV comprises of an Austrian and two Pakistani firms. The agreement consists of design review, detailed engineering design for conveyance system, allied electro-mechanical works, power, coordination for distribution system, preparation of bidding documents and the PC-I.

Besides, agreement was signed by K-IV project management and representative of the JV.

Austrian Ambassador Nicolaus Keller, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, Chairman Wapda Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Re), Joint Secretary Water Resources Syed Mehar Ali Shah, Member (Power) Wapda Jamil Akhter, General Manager Hydro Planning Wapda Muhammad Abid Sheikh, General Manager (Central Contract Cell) Wapda Muhammad Tariq and other officers concerned attend the ceremony.

State Minister for information and Broadcasting said that K-IV is a flagship project of Prime Minister Imran Khan's Package for Karachi. The project will go a long way in meeting water requirements of the cosmopolitan of Karachi. Appreciating Wapda for streamlining the project, the minister said that he is confident that Wapda will be able to complete this project of paramount importance in accordance with the timelines.

Wapda chairman said that Wapda is implementing K-IV as apriority project with a view to fulfilling the responsibility entrusted upon it by the prime minister and the federal government. Wapda has devised a well thought out plan to complete K-IV Project on time, for which support and cooperation of all the stakeholders including the government of Sindh is all the more important, he added. “Karachi facing shortage of clean drinking water, there was a need of 1,300 million gallons/day water for the city. We stand committed to completing the K-IV by October 2023.” Wapda chairman said.

Addressing the ceremony, Austrian Ambassador said that he is pleased that one of the Austrian firms is also going to be associated with K-IV, which is an important project for supplying water to Karachiites. K-IV project envisages to supplying 650 million gallons of drinking water per day to Karachi.

Earlier, the project was being constructed by the Sindh government, however, the federal government, under an arrangement with the provincial government has taken up implementation of the project as part of the prime minister's package for Karachi and directed Wapda to take over the responsibility of constructing the project.