KARACHI, Nov 18: The federal government has released Rs500 million for the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (Phase-V), Stage-II (called K-3), whereby the city would get additional 100 million gallons of water, it was reliably learnt.

The project costing Rs 6billion would be financed by the federal government and it would be commissioned in three and a half years.

Sources told Dawn that the process of shortlisting those engineering/contracting firms which have already been prequalified for the project’s civil work would be accomplished in a month or so and the work on the project would begin either in January or February.

There are 18/19 such firms and all of them are listed with the Pakistan Engineering Council as it is the criterion for applying for such a work in the tender notice given by the KWSB about six months back, the sources said and added that the civil works of the project to be awarded to the prequalified firms include construction of a conduit and syphons, rising mains and distribution mains and some allied work.

Though the city is, at present, being supplied 470 mgd of water (435 from Indus and 35 mgd from Hub source) as against its requirement of 594 mgd, the commissioning of the K-3 project would considerably improve the city’s overall supply situation, besides providing water to various deficient areas of Hub.

Asked if there would be any problem in getting the required funds for the project, the KWSB officials said that since the project had already been approved by the ECNEC, there would be no problem in acquiring the project’s cost from the government.

The plan’s concept clearance was given by Sindh government a long time ago while it was green-signalled by the federal government at its ECNEC meeting, the sources said.

Highlighting the salient features of the project, the sources said that although the K-2 project was completed in June, 1999 at a cost of Rs10 billion, the K-3 project would cost only Rs6 billion because the existing 30 kilometre long canal that was built for the K-2 project would be utilised for the K-3 project as well.

In addition, the K-2’s 70km square conduit would be replicated with the construction of three sides along the present K-2 alignment and wherever possible the PRCC pipe would be utilised for the purpose of cost reduction.

Besides, the project has already resulted in the reopening of the KDA’s pipe factory for manufacturing pipes for the project.

Recalling that the feasibility study that was conducted before undertaking the K-2 project for assessing the city’s water requirement had suggested that a plan envisaging 2000 mgd of water from Indus source, the sources said that the then government keeping in view the financial constraints had decided to undertake the 200 mgd scheme in two phases i.e. K-2 and K-3, each of 100 mgd.

But shortly after the completion of the K-2 project in June 1999, the Hub Dam source had gone dry and hence the KWSB had to divert the supply from the K-2 to the former district West which was earlier hooked to the Hub source only.