New K-IV deadline

An entire decade after the K-IV water supply project was launched under the Sindh government and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah still has to remind the citizens of Karachi of the wonders that this project will do for the city’s water supply. This is because even after multiple extended deadlines and persistent chaos in traffic congestion, the benefits of the project are yet to be reaped and can only be imagined. Once again, in a recent visit to the project site to review progress, the CM directed the authorities to ensure timely completion of the project — something that has been done countless times before, without much consequence.

On November 10, University Road came to a complete standstill. This busy artery was ordered closed by the government till December 30, 2025 for the installation of 96-inch and 72-inch pipelines as part of the K-IV scheme. According to reports, just 10 per cent of the installation job was completed by January 7, 2026, and the work was halted yet again – this time due to objections raised by the World Bank regarding environmental pollution. The objections cause serious concerns about the impact of the project. And the fact that the environmental concerns were not considered prior to the execution stage raises a question mark as to the ability of its administrators.

Of late, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has set December 2026 as a brand-new deadline for completion of the K-IV water supply project. Judging from previous patterns of delays, scepticism is only a natural reaction. And the citizens are left with no other option but to hope against hope. So let’s once again hope that this “final” deadline from none other than a federal minister will hold substantial meaning rather than being relegated to a vacuous figure. The interruptions caused by this project are endless; both time and patience are running out.