President DrArif Alvi on Wednesday underlined the need for women’s empowerment, especially in the business sector and asked the leadership of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry to enhance the institutions’ role in women’s empowerment. Addressing the members of the KCCI during his visit to the chamber, the President appreciated the contribution of the chamber in empowerment of women besides promoting trade and industry in the city, which is the economic hub of the country. The KCCI leadership should come forward to help women entrepreneurs in getting soft loans from the banks, he said, adding that the State Bank of Pakistan was very active in providing maximum financial support to business women. He said the country could not progress and prosper unless there was maximum participation by women in every profession and field was ensured. Responding to the KCCI leadership who highlighted the issues facing Karachi, President Alvi said the country’s progress was linked to Karachi’s development and that provision of basic amenities to the citizens were essential. He said for managing the shortage of water in the city, there was a need to recycle sewage water by setting up treatment plants. Presently, huge quantity of sewage water was being pumped into the sea and no one was taken accountable, he added. The solution of the water issue in Karachi was desalination of sewage and saline water from the sea, he said adding there must be its single buyer like Karachi Municipal Corporation to purchase desalinated water from private investors. At least, this could be used by industrial consumption, he added. “I have suggested to the Sindh government to set up Sindh Water Authority or Karachi Water Authority for effectively tackle the water issue,” he added. He said with the increasing population and lack of the required scale of development in the past, Karachi once a beautiful city was facing infrastructure and other civic issues. The city expanded unplanned and ‘kachiabadies’ turned into bungalows and high rises but the infrastructure and civic amenities remained almost the same. Over the period, he added, however, some residential societies like PECHS emerged as posh areas of the city.He said the Karachi Development Authority, the very important civic agency, also failed to play its due role. “Over the passage of time, this beautiful city turned into a congested city,” he said and recalled the old days of his childhood when the city looked clean and beautiful. A comprehensive and inclusive development plan was required for the city on the pattern of a national economic programme that included ‘Ehsaas’ programme for the poor, he added. The availability of potable water was another serious issue of the city, but he was satisfied that work on a mega water supply scheme of K-4 was going well and hopefully it would be completed by the end of 2023, he said.