KARACHI: Karachi will start receiving 100 million gallons of water per day from August 14 with the operationalisation of the newly constructed New Hub Canal — a project completed after 22 years.
Sindh government spokesperson Saadia Javed said the project will be inaugurated by Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto on Wednesday. The existing canal, which supplies water from Hub Dam to Karachi, is 45 to 46 years old and had been unable to deliver the required supply due to leakage and seepage.
The 22.8-kilometre-long New Hub Canal, built to modern standards, has been completed in a record nine months at a cost of Rs12.78 billion.
Restoration work on the old Hub Canal — now referred to as Hub Canal-1 — is also under way, with a 5-kilometre stretch already rebuilt. The full rehabilitation will cost Rs12.5 billion.
Spillways opened as Hub Dam fills to capacity
Officials say the new canal will bring relief to water-starved areas of Keamari and West districts, marking a major step by the Sindh government to address Karachi’s chronic water shortage. The old Hub Canal, once restored, will be able to supply 150 MGD to the city.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab earlier said the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation will bring the New Hub Canal online on August 14. “The existing canal is also being rehabilitated under this project,” he added.
Pakistan’s largest metropolis boasts a population nearing 18 million and expected to exceed 20 million in the coming years. It has been grappling with worsening water shortages compounded by unchecked urban growth.
Rapid and largely unregulated urbanisation outpaced infrastructure and planning efforts, posing severe challenges for water management and flood control.
Experts at a recent seminar organised by the Pakistan Engineering Forum revealed that Karachi receives an average of 9 inches of rain annually. If properly managed through rainwater harvesting and groundwater recharge, Karachi could substantially ease the city’s water crisis.
A water expert from NED University stated that the city’s rainwater run-off from watersheds between Keenjhar Lake and the city amounts to nearly 1.83 million acre-feet annually – water currently wasted due to lack of infrastructure.
However, Karachi’s water woes are exacerbated by rampant illegal corruption by land mafias with political ties. These groups reportedly build unauthorised settlements on natural drainage basins. This blocks important waterways needed to channel monsoon rainwater.
Environmental warn that such encroachments significantly worsen urban flooding, flooding low-lying neighbourhoods and severing drainage pathways essential for the city’s storm water management.