KARACHI, March 9: The refusal of the Indus River System Authority to increase the existing water quota for Sindh from the Indus has become the main hurdle behind an early implementation of the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme, commonly known as the K-IV project.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was told on Wednesday that Irsa was asked to increase the water quota for Sindh so that the provincial government could double the quota for Karachi from 1,200 cusecs to 2,400 cusecs, but it declined to do so.

Briefing the provincial chief executive on the K-IV project here at the Chief Minister’s House, Additional Chief Secretary (Planning & Development) Muhammad Ishaq Lashari said that the K- IV project was planned to bring an additional 650 million gallons of water daily or 1,200 cusecs of water from the Indus River.

He said the irrigation & power department raised the issue with Irsa and asked the authority to increase the water quota forthe province. However, refusing to enhance the water quota, Irsa asked the irrigation department to provide an additional 1,200 cusecs to Karachi from the overall water share of the province.

Mr Lashari emphasised the need for the decision for the provision of the additional 1,200 cusecs to Karachi from the Indus source was required to be taken for the implementation of the K-IV project.

He informed the CM that the K-IV project would be implemented in three phases. The phase-I having capacity of 130 MGD with duration from 2011 to 2015; the second having capacity of 260 MGD with duration from 2016 to 2020 and the third phase of the K-IV project having capacity of 260 MGD would be implemented with duration from 2020 to 2025.

He said that the schemes of the first phase of the K-IV project had been prepared by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board with an estimated cost of Rs20.803 billion. However, the schemes were not included in the annual development programme 2010-11 and funding in the PC-I had been proposed to be provided by the federal government.

The funding had to be assured before initiating the process of approval and implementation, he added.

The KWSB needed Rs15 billion for the execution of the K-IV water supply project capable of adding 150 MGD water to the city to meets its increasing requirement on a priority basis otherwise Karachi would soon be facing another severe crisis of water after power and other utility services.

KWSB sources said if the additional quota from the Indus was not made available soon, the city would be facing an acute water shortage.