KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah on Wednesday performed the groundbreaking ceremony of the much-delayed Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme, commonly known as the K-IV project.

The K-IV project would be completed in a period of three years with an estimated cost of Rs25.5 billion. It would add a total of 560 million gallon water daily to the city’s existing water supply.

The first phase of the project would add 260mgd water after completion.

The CM unveiled a plaque at a programme held at CM House.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM said that the federal government had committed to providing 50 per cent of the total cost of the project. However, the Sindh government would complete this project with its own resources if the federal government backed out of its commitment, he added.

He also announced that not only the K-IV project but other mega projects like the mass transit system would soon be undertaken.

The CM said that K-IV had been lying in the cold storage for long and no one was paying any attention to it despite the fact that people of Karachi were facing an acute water shortage.

He said that Pakistan Peoples Party co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari directed the provincial government to plan for the next 10 years.

“We have made some financial achievement in the National Finance Commission award but Sindh needs more resources to meet its requirement,” he said, adding that “our finance minister continues to strive to get the due share of Sindh in meetings with the federal government.”

Referring to the federal budget, the chief minister said that Sindh was very disappointed with the federal budget.

“Although Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif continues to extend his cooperation in other matters, but when it comes to money, we don’t get anything,” he complained.

He said that the size of last year’s federal public service development programme (PSDP) was Rs525bn, but Sindh got only Rs22bn. The next year PSDP was of Rs700bn, but Sindh was allocated only 6.7 per cent of the PSDP.

“We have a lot of complaints. We have said that K-IV is an important project and Karachi belongs to everyone , but despite the federal government’s commitment to pay Sindh Rs2bn a month or so ago, we have not yet received a single penny,” said the CM.

He said that his government had started work on the project and its estimated cost might increase. Earlier speaking at the ceremony, Local Government Minister Sharjeel Memon said that the groundbreaking ceremony of the K-IV project was a historic event.

He said that the remaining two phases of the project would also be worked out and implemented at the earliest.

KWSB Managing Director Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi said it took seven years to start work on the K-IV project after the completion of the 100mgd K-III water project.

Finance Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Food Minister Gayan Chand Esrani, PPP leaders Najme Alam, Chief Secretary Siddique Memon and Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmad Siddiqui were also present.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2015

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