KARACHI: Several industrial zones in Karachi have been facing a water shortage crisis for the past many weeks which has slowed down the production activities of industries, impacting negatively on exports of the country.
The water crisis, which has persisted for months, has significantly disrupted operations in key industrial zones and areas, including F B Area. These zones house factories producing textiles, leather goods, pharmaceuticals, and other goods that contribute substantially to Pakistan’s export revenue. Without an adequate water supply, production processes have slowed or come to a halt, leading to mounting losses and missed export deadlines.
Sheikh Muhammad Tahseen, President of the Federal B Area Association of Trade and Industries (FBATI) said that industrial zones in Karachi are not being provided water supplies by the concerned department, nor industries were allowed to consume sub-soil water facilities. He said “We need millions of gallons of water daily to sustain operations, but the supply is sporadic at best. The inefficiency of the concerned department has forced factories to rely on costly private water tankers, increasing production costs and reducing competitiveness in the global market.”
He said that the devastating impact of the water crisis on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Federal B Area which are already struggling with high energy costs and inflation. Tahseen also called on authorities to prioritize industrial zones in water allocation, citing their critical role in driving the country’s exports and providing employment. He also demanded the government to allocate the quota of the industries in the distribution of the water from reservoirs to enhance the production activities of the industry.
The situation also threatens employment in Karachi, a city where industrial zones employ hundreds of thousands of workers. With factories unable to operate at full capacity, layoffs and salary cuts are becoming inevitable, creating further socioeconomic instability in an already strained urban environment.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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