KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, dubbing him ‘Shehbaz Slow’ when it comes to uplift works in Karachi.
While inaugurating a 100-million-gallon water project in Hub on Wednesday, the PPP chairman launched a scathing attack on the prime minister and sarcastically called him ‘Shehbaz Slow’ for delays in the K-IV water project.
“We expected Shehbaz Speed [for Karachi’s uplift], but got Shehbaz Slow.
Sindh govt decides to initiate ‘Hub Canal’, other projects
It cannot be that Punjab gets Shehbaz Speed while Karachi is left with Shehbaz Slow,“ Bilawal added while requesting the prime minister to fulfil his promises regarding the K-IV water project in Karachi.
Turning his criticism to India, Bilawal said that the Modi government has conspired to block Pakistan’s water supply, likening his tactics to those of Netanyahu. He condemned India’s alleged plan to violate the Indus Waters Treaty by constructing dams, calling it ‘the biggest historical attack on the Indus River.’
“Karachi’s people know how to defend the Sindhu Darya [Indus River]. We will confront India diplomatically and, if needed, on the battlefield,” the PPP chairman warned.
Speaking on the occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah declared the project a major gift for Karachi on Independence Day.
He said that Karachi’s federal water quota would be raised to 200 MGD by December.
“We inaugurated the project on August 13 as promised,” he said, adding that the main beneficiaries would be West Wharf, Keamari, and Central Karachi.
The new canal, he said, would bring an additional 100 million gallons per day (MGD) of water to the city, doubling the capacity previously carried by the old canal.
Murad said that the old canal could not transport even 60 MGD effectively, but the new infrastructure would overcome that limitation.
“We built this canal within the fixed time and budget, without any cost escalation,” he stated.
“This is a gift to Karachiites ahead of Independence Day.”
The chief minister also announced that the restoration of the old canal would be completed by December, further boosting the city’s water capacity to 140 MGD. He added that the provincial government was negotiating with the federal government to increase Sindh and Balochistan’s water quota, citing improved water availability due to climate change.
Murad said a 35 MGD water treatment plant would also be completed in September to supply industries, freeing up potable water for domestic use. Once the augmentation phase of K-IV is completed through arrangements with the World Bank, Karachi will receive 550 MGD of water, significantly easing shortages.
The New Hub Canal spans 21.8 kilometres and includes 11 aqueducts, 19 culverts, and four bridges, with a total capacity of 130 MGD. Phase II of the project involves restoring the old canal, with 21.8 km of its section already closed for accelerated work.
The Manghopir pumping station’s 150 MGD capacity is also being restored, alongside the refurbishment of the filtration plant.
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