Mega Karachi water project gets no funds in 5 months

Federal Government has not released a single penny for Greater Karachi Water Supply project - commonly known as K-IV project - in the first five months of the current financial year.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led federal government had vowed to work in collaboration with Pakistan People's Party (PPP)-led Sindh Government to resolve the water crisis in the mega city Karachi.

Asad Umar, Federal Minister Planning, Development & Reform, chaired a meeting couple of days back in Islamabad in which Chairperson Planning & Development Board Naheed S. Durrani also participated to hold discussions on the Karachi's mega water project.

However, the figures of releases for Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the first four months of current financial year showed that K-IV project hasn't received any fund so far.

Federal government allocated Rs.800 million for K-IV project in PSDP 2019-20, but the project is still awaiting the release of funds from the center.

The total cost of the project is Rs 25.510 billion, which would be borne by Federal and Sindh Government on 50:50 cost-sharing basis.

Federal Government's share in the total cost of the project stands at Rs 12.775 billion, of which centre has spent Rs 9.598 billion by 30th June 2019.

With a total throw-forward of Rs 3.157 billion for the current fiscal, federal government allocated Rs.800 million in PSDP 2019-20. The project is designed to provide 650 million gallons of water daily to Karachi in three phases.