KARACHI: K-IV project planned to meet future water needs
KARACHI, March 29: The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board has chalked out K-IV project, the largest water project of the metropolis, among other mega projects to meet future water requirements of the city.
The KW&SB has appointed a consultant to identify alternate system quite different from the existing water supply system and prepare the feasibility as well as Project Cost-I (PC-I) at the earliest.
According to an official of the KWSB, all out efforts are being made to get approved the project from federal government aimed at providing additional 600mgd water to Karachi and launch the first phase of K-IV project by the end of December this year. After approval, the official said, K-IV project would be completed in four phases in 20 years.
The city government and provincial government will approach the president and prime minister to get approved special water quota of the 600mgd water from the Indus River System Authority, which is required for the K-IV project, he added.
Other KWSB projects include desalination plant for additional 25mgd water, water loss reduction programme to remove leakages for saving 180mgd water and effluent treatment plant to make available more 35mgd water.
Recently, the water board has completed K-III project that will supply 100mgd additional water from River Indus source. The 100mgd additional water supply project would be inaugurated by President Pervez Musharraf on March 31. Out of total supply under the K-III project, 95mgd water will be procured to Karachi city and 5mgd water to the citizens of Hub.
At present, 450mgd and 60mgd water is being supplied to Karachi from River Indus and Hub dam sources, respectively.
With the launching of K-III project on March 31, he said, the total water supply to the city would go high up to 605mgd. However, to meet the water needs of all citizens 648mgd water was required for Karachi. At present, the population of Karachi is 14 million with a growth rate of 6 percent annually, which will considerably increase in the coming years.
To meet the water needs in the future, the KWSB has planned to develop K-IV project in four phases, and each of the four components of K-IV will have the capacity 150mgd. In this way, a total of 600mgd additional water will be supplied to the city in the next 20 years.
The KWSB has decided to take up alternate route for K-IV project from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi city. This plan has been conceived to continue water supply to the metropolis in case of any disaster, which can collapse KWSB water supply system.
At present, he said, 450mgd water is being supplied from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi. The bulk water system covers 75-km coming via Gharo and Dhabeji along the National Highway.
The federal government has allocated over one billion rupees for water loss reduction programme, which will save at least 180mgd.—Online
