KARACHI – Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has criticised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for what he described as slow progress on the long-delayed K-IV water supply scheme, warning that Karachi cannot afford another decade of delays.
Speaking at the inauguration of a new canal from Hub Dam on Wednesday, Bilawal said the federal government had promised speed, but Karachi was instead experiencing sluggish delivery.
“We were expecting ‘Shehbaz speed’ for K-IV, but Karachi has been given ‘Shehbaz slow’,” he remarked. “It’s unacceptable that Lahore gets rapid progress while Karachi is left waiting.”
The K-IV project, launched in the early 2000s to ease the city’s chronic water shortage, has faced repeated setbacks and escalating costs. Only Rs3.2 billion was allocated in the current budget, far short of the estimated Rs40 billion required to complete the scheme. Officials now fear completion could be pushed back by several more years.
Tensions over the allocation have created friction within the ruling coalition, with PPP leaders openly expressing dissatisfaction. Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon called the federal funding “highly inadequate” and urged the government to curb unnecessary expenses while prioritising essential infrastructure.
Meanwhile, the newly inaugurated Hub Canal — a provincial government initiative approved in 2022 — will add 100 million gallons per day (MGD) to Karachi’s water supply. The project also involves rehabilitating the old Hub Canal and upgrading pumping and filtration facilities, with an eventual goal of increasing the city’s allocation to 200 MGD.
Bilawal said water from the new canal will be supplied to the Central, East, and Keamari districts, with hopes of extending the benefit to Lyari and nearby islands in the future.
