IT is an injustice that finds few parallels. Karachi, home to a burgeoning population of over 20m and the primary engine of Pakistan’s commerce and industry, has been severely water-stressed for decades. In recent years, much hope has been pinned on the completion of K-IV, a bulk water supply project for the megalopolis conceived in the early 2000s to bridge part of the massive shortfall between its existing water supply and growing demand. Yet, nothing ever seems to materialise. Now, the federal government has sent a clear message that the city’s sharpening water crisis is not its concern. The K-IV project may have been pushed back by another decade or so, according to some estimates, as the federal government has decided to slash funding for it for the next fiscal year. It has been allocated less than a tenth of the amount it requires for next year in the federal budget, with a paltry Rs3.2bn approved against a requirement of Rs40bn.

The water crisis in Karachi recently grew so severe that even its most privileged denizens were seen struggling to replenish their underground storage tanks before their taps ran dry. They quickly found themselves at the mercy of the city’s ‘tanker mafia’, a water supply racket that lines the pockets of players from almost the entire spectrum of the country’s power elite. Although the situation has ‘improved’ since then, even on its best days, Karachi gets less than half the water it needs. The people must fend for themselves for the rest. This represents a profound administrative failure which would not be countenanced in any respectable society. There are many aspects that make Karachi an unlivable city, but its water crisis is perhaps the most severe aspect of its problems. The federal government must not abandon a project it has taken responsibility for, especially considering the impact it will have on millions of citizens.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2025