HYDERABAD: Lining work on the Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder — a perennial canal of the Kotri Barrage — has resumed following the canal’s closure a few days ago.

The project is a joint initiative of the federal and Sindh governments on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis, aimed at lining the entire KB Feeder to conserve water and provide Karachi with additional supply to meet the provincial capital’s drinking water needs.

Work on the canal began last year in the same month, with certain sections lined during the previous closure. As the KB Feeder is a perennial canal, project work can only be carried out during a limited period and is scheduled to be completed within three years, according to the approved plan. Authorities have collected water at two locations along the KB Feeder for supply to universities.

The Kotri Barrage undergoes annual closure for repair and maintenance between 25 December and 10 January, during which necessary refurbishment work is carried out. The KB Feeder was closed five days earlier than other canals of the barrage and will reopen five days later.

Around 500-550 cusecs conserved through lining will flow into Keenjhar Lake for onward supply to metropolis

Barrage authorities require approximately 18 hours to deplete the pond and release downstream water flows before maintenance work begins. Similarly, gates of off-taking canals, including the KB Feeder, were fully closed to allow inspection of canal structures and regulators.

The lining work, funded equally by provincial and federal governments, has been divided into three packages covering over 189 reduced distances (RDs) of the canal, with each RD approximately 1,000ft long. Around 25 to 30 per cent of the work was completed between December 2024 and January 2025.

The Sindh government has appointed retired Chief Engineer of Kotri Barrage, Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, as permanent project director (PD) for the KB Feeder lining project. He replaced Ghulam Mohiuddin, who previously held the post.

The new PD said that work was progressing smoothly.

The canal lining aims to save about 500-550 cusecs of water, which will eventually be supplied to Keenjhar Lake — the main source of drinking water for Karachi — from where the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) lifts water for the metropolis.

KB Feeder receives around 9,000 cusecs of water, including the 1,200 cusecs currently supplied to Karachi. The city requires 2,400 cusecs, which will be achieved through the ongoing K-IV project. With the current lining, 500-550 cusecs will be saved, raising Karachi’s supply in phase-I to 1,700 cusecs. Lining of two additional canals from the barrage, as proposed, would save another 700 cusecs, bringing the total supply to 2,400 cusecs.

The Karachi-specific K-IV project, executed by Wapda since 2011 at a cost of Rs126 billion, is designed to supply 650 million gallons per day (MGD) from Keenjhar Lake in two phases: 260 MGD in phase-I and 390 MGD in phase-II.

The KB Feeder lining project’s cost has now increased to approximately Rs50 billion from an initial Rs39.94 billion, following Ecnec approval in July 2023 as per PC-I, due to the revised schedule of rates for contractual work.

Published in Dawn, December 31st, 2025