JI Urges Prime Minister to Release Rs40 Billion for Timely Completion of Karachi’s K-IV Water Project

KARACHI: Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to immediately release the remaining Rs40 billion required for the completion of the K-IV water supply project, warning that continued delays are worsening Karachi’s water crisis. In a letter to the prime minister, JI Karachi chief Monem Zafar referred to a National Assembly committee report indicating that the first phase of the K-IV project, designed to supply 260 million gallons of water per day to the city, is now expected to be completed by December 2029.

He called on the Sindh government to expedite the K-IV augmentation component while urging the federal government to release all outstanding funds during the current fiscal year to prevent further delays. Monem Zafar said Karachi, with a population of around 35 million, requires at least 1,200 million gallons of water daily but currently receives only about 550 million gallons, leaving residents to face a severe water shortage.

He noted that the K-IV project, conceived more than two decades ago, remains incomplete despite its importance for the city’s future water needs. Criticizing both the federal and provincial governments, he said each had blamed the other for delays while failing to ensure the project’s timely completion. He also pointed out that only a fraction of the required funding had been allocated in recent budgets, forcing Karachi residents to spend billions of rupees annually on private water tankers. According to JI, timely completion of the K-IV project would significantly improve water availability and reduce the financial burden on millions of citizens.