Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called on the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) to allocate an additional 50 million gallons per day (mgd) of water from Hub Dam to address Karachi’s growing water needs.

During a meeting with Wapda Chairman Lt Gen (retd) Sajjad Ghani at the CM House, Shah emphasized the urgency of improving the city’s water supply.

Ghani suggested the Karachi Water & Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) submit a formal request for the additional water. Mayor Murtaza Wahab confirmed that such a request had already been made.

However, Wapda raised concerns over unpaid dues, stating that KWSC owes Rs1 billion for maintaining the Hub Canal.

Shah assured that the provincial government would settle these dues and instructed the local government minister to prepare a payment summary.

The meeting also reviewed progress on the K-IV water supply project, which aims to deliver 260mgd of water to Karachi by 2026.

Shah committed to releasing Rs8.5 billion as the provincial government’s share of the project cost.

Other discussions focused on resolving legal and land acquisition issues to ensure smooth implementation of K-IV and federally funded drainage projects like RBOD-I and RBOD-III.

These projects aim to manage saline effluents and stormwater drainage but face disputes over damaged infrastructure and loan settlements.

To address these challenges, Shah and Ghani agreed to form a joint committee of Wapda and Sindh irrigation department experts.

The committee will resolve pending issues, paving the way for project completion and eventual handover to the provincial government.