KARACHI : Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Tuesday asked the federal government to increase the city’s water quota from the Hub Dam, saying that reliance on a single source is no longer sustainable for Pakistan’s largest city.

Addressing a press conference, the mayor said the Sindh government had approached the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to release an additional 100 million gallons per day (MGD) of water for Karachi. “We requested Wapda to provide Karachi with more water, but they advised us to take the matter to the Council of Common Interests (CCI), where it is currently under discussion,” he said.

Karachi, he said, cannot depend solely on the Keenjhar Lake system and must utilise other available water resources.

The mayor also said that after decades of neglect, the Hub Reservoir has finally been given priority.

Mayor Wahab says reliance on one source no longer sustainable

“The Hub Reservoir has a capacity of 15 MGD, but it was ignored for many years. After recent rains, the dam has filled, storing nearly three years of water,” he said. “That is why we decided to focus on Hub as a key water source.”

Mayor Wahab announced that a new canal has been constructed at Hub Dam at a cost of Rs12.8 billion, while the old canal has also been rehabilitated. As a result, he said, the water supply infrastructure from Hub has now increased to 200 MGD. He said the previous canal had broken down over time, reducing the city’s ability to draw water.

The mayor also announced plans to begin desilting of the Hub Reservoir, which will benefit areas such as Maripur, Manghopir and nearby localities.

“This work will be completed before Ramazan so that residents of western, central and Keamari districts can benefit,” he said.

He further said that pumping stations at LCR, LSR and E&I were in poor condition and are now being upgraded with new motors.

“These improvements will add 4.5 to 5 MGD of water to the system,” Mayor Wahab said, adding that pipelines are currently being tested.

He said that some water lines burst recently near the Garden area due to water reaching those areas after a long gap.

Talking about administrative reforms, the mayor said an SAP system has been introduced in the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Water Board to improve transparency.

“Earlier, there were serious irregularities. Through the SAP system, we identified 73 employees who were drawing salaries from both KMC and the Water Board,” he said and added that pension-related irregularities were also discovered.

“All KMC salaries are now paid through SAP, and by March, Water Corporation salaries will also be shifted to this system. By June 30, all contracts will be issued through SAP, ending fake contracts,” Mayor Wahab said.

About the recent Gul Plaza tragedy, he said the building has been sealed and investigations are under way.“The Karachi Commissioner’s inquiry is in its final stages and the report will be completed by tomorrow,” he said and added that a cabinet committee headed by the Sindh chief minister has been formed to probe the incident.

Published in Dawn, January 28th, 2026