THE federal government’s proposal to bring the construction sector under a comprehensive development and regulatory framework, including greater accountability of consultants for design and technical failures, is long overdue. This reform should, however, be implemented with particular urgency in Sindh, where large public projects have repeatedly suffered from design changes, cost escalation, delays and weak accountability.

The experience of the K-IV water supply project is perhaps the clearest illustration. The project has witnessed repeated design and alignment changes, prolonged delays and enormous escalation in its estimated cost. Official and parliamentary discussions have often identified design- related issues as a major factor behind the project’s difficulties. Who is accountable when a project is designed based on inadequate surveys, faulty estimates, defective geotechnical assessments or unrealistic technical assumptions? At present, the public exchequer frequently bears the consequences, while the consultant’s professional responsibility often ends with the submission of the design.

There is a need to establish a clear chain of professional accountability. Consultants should be contractually responsible for the accuracy and adequacy of surveys, designs, specifications, quantities, cost estimates and technical advice. Independent design reviews should be mandatory for major projects before tendering, while material design changes during execution should require documented technical justification and accountability. The proposed extension of the defect liability period from one to three years, and eventually five years, is welcome, but accountability must begin before the construction phase, not after defects appear.

Public money is a national trust. The government should ensure that when a project fails because of a defective design, inadequate professional advice or negligent supervision, responsibility does not end with the contractor or the executing department. The consultancy firm that designed it must also be held answerable.

Raja Masroor Hassan
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2026