Despite Pakistan’s minimal contribution to global emissions, it remained highly vulnerable to its effects. Access to clean water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene practices is not just a necessity but a fundamental right for every individual. Karachi is extremely vulnerable to natural and climate-related disasters. Recurrent floods (due to poor drainage) and future rises in sea levels further complicate its water and sanitation sector challenges. The risks of drinking water supply and sewerage service shortfalls are aggravated by climate change.
The city is particularly susceptible to more extreme heat, precipitation, flooding and sea level rise which not only increases the flood risk but also causes saltwater intrusion in the coastal aquifers. Improving the water and sewer system will be critical to successfully adapt to these risks. For example, dealing with heat waves, such as the one experienced in 2015, requires sufficient and continuous availability of drinking water; functioning sewer systems and adequate treatment capacity are important to deal with the impact of larger and more frequent urban floods and to prevent contamination of the urban environment through sewer overflows. Likewise, sea level rise is likely to further reduce the quality of groundwater through saltwater intrusion and thus increase reliance on the public piped system.
A project funded by the World Bank, Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP) is committed to transforming Karachi’s water and sewerage infrastructure which aims to provide Securing Sustainable Water Supply & Sewerage. The project will support infrastructure rehabilitation, the capacity building of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), and improvements to the enabling environment for mobilizing private finance and enhancements in service delivery. It will help to improve Karachi’s water and sewerage services delivery through the upgrading of critical infrastructure and the total Project Cost is $100 million.
Pakistan, being a climate-affected country, should be provided grants and concessional loans by IFIs and other donors.
The government of Sindh is investing $20 million in, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP), comprising three main components: Operational Reform with a budget of $7 million, Infrastructure Investments with a budget of $77 million, and Project Management and Studies with a budget of $16 million.
As per details Karachi’s water supply services are falling far short of the expanding city’s needs. Nearly three million residents lack access to piped water, and even those formally connected experience inadequate, irregular and inequitable service. Typical service quality is “two hours every two days to four hours per day at very low pressure”, with rationing widespread especially in “Katchi Abadis” which face severe shortages of water. Brackish groundwater limits the use of household wells, so inefficient and expensive private water tankers are a major source of domestic water supply. The city’s current water demand is estimated at 5.5 million cubic meters per day, and the current supply shortfall is estimated at 2.5 million cubic meters per day.
The current service gaps arise from KWSB’s operational challenges, chronic under-investment, and a weak enabling environment. KWSB has not had significant capital investment for over a decade; even though a 2008 master plan estimated investment needs of over US$2.5 billion to achieve universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030.
The last international financing institution (IFI) investment project was in the mid-1990s. KWSB infrastructure is dilapidated and operating far below capacity. Later on at the groundbreaking ceremony of the water supply and sewerage rehabilitation project in Soba Nagar, Mayor Karachi Barrister Murtaza Wahab explained that the water supply and drainage system in Soba Nagar, a slum in Gulshan-e-Iqbal is being rehabilitated under which new pipelines lines are being installed in place of old ones, this project will be completed before 12 months, which will fulfil the requirements of the area in terms of water supply and drainage till 2050.
Usman Moazam, Project Director KWSSIP, said that this project is set to benefit a significant portion of Karachi’s population, particularly focusing on areas where water supply and sanitation issues are most severe. With Karachi’s population exceeding 20.3 million, the project directly aims to improve services for approximately 4 million people. The upgraded infrastructure will ensure more reliable access to clean water and improved sewerage systems for these residents, helping to alleviate the long-standing challenges of inadequate water supply and poor sanitation in the city.
Bilal Zafar, Advisor for Institutional Reforms KWSSIP, explained that in the area of operational and enabling environment reforms, KWSSIP focuses on upgrading the efficiency of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation by reducing water losses, modernizing operations, and improving service delivery by strengthening governance and institutional capacity in HR, Communication, Customer Relations Management, Tariff Rationalization and Financial Management System.
These reforms will create a more sustainable and effective operational environment for the city’s water and sanitation services adding that in terms of climate resilience, KWSSIP has been designed to tackle the increasing risks posed by climate change, such as extreme weather events, flooding, and water scarcity. The project incorporates sustainable practices like better water management, along with upgrading sewerage and drainage systems to prevent urban flooding during heavy rains.
These infrastructure enhancements, coupled with improved wastewater treatment facilities, will play a key role in reducing the vulnerability of Karachi’s population to climate-related hazards and ensuring the long-term viability of the water and sanitation systems. Moreover, the UC Chairman Sanam Baloch said that this project will bring change in the community while on the other hand community showed their concerns that they did not take the community in confidence and just Govt. officials have been with them and doing what they want.
Executive Director of Transparency International Pakistan, Kashif Ali insisted that the country cannot sustain IDA financing loans to deal with the effects of climate change. It is the moral obligation of the developed countries to provide aid and not loans adding that the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project, a World Bank-funded project focuses on revamping the service delivery of the KWSB and building its capacity. At the same time, to address Karachi’s water woes, the K-IV project must be completed to meet the water needs of the city.
Indus Consortium CEO Hussain Jarwar commented that the urban WASH facilities are very significant for the residents of Karachi as due to poor and insufficient infrastructure it is contributing to health issues. Clean drinking water is a fundamental human right but access to this right is not properly achieved by the government. The city of Karachi direly needs such infrastructure on an immediate basis to fulfil the needs of common citizens saying that these types of projects will benefit communities by improving water and sanitation and overcoming health problems. Hussain added that the major flaw in the development of these types of projects has remained is the lack of community consultation in the designing phase of the project. Sometimes it creates designed problems as well as issues of ownership within communities. Hussain gave the reference, the case of LBOD is one of the major issues where the inspection panel of WB panel identified the “banks’ negligence in community consultation in Badin” which led to the ill design of the project which is affecting the environment and social issues in Badin.
The financers and work caring companies and the government should consult local citizens and communities while designing & during the work. Hussain urged that Pakistan being a climate-affected country should be provided some grants and concessional loans by IFIs and other donors so that debt sustainability can be taken care of. Otherwise, it will create a debt burden for Pakistan and affect the paying capacity of poor citizens.
Conclusively, it’s a dire need of the time to execute bureaucratic reform and stronger political will to ensure climate-smart policies are implemented at every level of government. Our country is being burdened with financial aid debt to deal with the effects of climate change, which ultimately has to be borne by the common citizen.
Writer is a freelance columnist and tweets at @maferozi)