KARACHI, Feb 13: The foundation stone of the much-awaited Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (phase-V, stage-II), commonly known as K-3, will be laid by the end of next month.

The project to be completed in three years will provide an additional 100 million gallons of water to the metropolis, raising the city’s total water supply to 534mgd, sources said, adding that with the commissioning of the project the gap between the city’s water supply and demand would reduce considerably because a feasibility study had indicated the water demand at 594mgd.

The project will considerably improve the overall water supply situation of the city in general and several deficient pockets which are hooked to the Hub Dam in particular.

The federal government had already given a green signal to the project at a meeting of the Ecnec whereas its concept clearance was approved by the Sindh government a long time ago.

The project, costing Rs6,104 million, would be financed by both the provincial and federal governments.

The KWSB sources said that though the K-2 project, which was completed in June, 1999, at a cost of Rs10 billion, the K-3 would cost only Rs6 billion because the existing 30-kilometre-long canal that was constructed under the K-2 would also be utilized for completing the K-3 project.

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

The pre-qualification tender notice, whereby only those engineering/contracting firms listed with the Pakistan Engineering Council were eligible for getting the project’s civil works, had already been floated and the process is in its final stages of completion. The project’s civil works include construction of a conduit, syphons and rising mains, etc.

Giving details of the K-3, the officials said that the project’s feasibility study undertaken before initiating the K-2 project for assessing the water requirement of the city, having population growth rate at 5 per cent, had suggested a plan envisaging 2000mgd of water from the Indus source. However, because of financial constraints the then government had decided to undertake the 200mgd scheme in two phases — K-2 and K-3, each of 100mgd.

But with the completion of the K-2 in June 1999, the Hub Dam had gone dry and hence the KWSB had to take measures for diverting the water from the K-2 to the defunct district West, the sources added.