FOR the last couple of months, citizens of Karachi have yet again been starved of drinking water and the supply interruption has assumed alarming proportions. There is no end in sight to water crises that have plagued the financial hub of the country lately. Unfortunately, there is no sense of urgency by the authorities concerned to resolve the problem and provide this basic necessity of life to the city’s hapless inhabitants.

The government is busy celebrating the completion of Shahrah-i-Bhutto and boasting about its ‘achievements’ for the ‘development’ of the province. It has recently spent a huge amount of taxpayers’ money on advertising this project’s inauguration. On the other hand, the people of Karachi are being deprived of billions of rupees annually as they are forced to buy water. Instead of financially over-burdening the people, the govern-ment should set its own priorities right.

Aamir Malik
Karachi

Published in Dawn, June 26th, 2026