Fixing the water crisis in Karachi with lining work |
After achieving 30 per cent progress in lining the Kalri Baghar (KB) Feeder Upper lining project last year, work was all set to resume from Dec 20 this year. The work will begin during the annual closure of Kotri Barrage. The barrage feeds an offtaking canal, the KB Feeder, which then fills the Keenjhar Lake — a principal source of urban water usage for Sindh’s capital city.
Usually, there is a fifteen-day closure for the maintenance of the barrage and its four canals during winter, ie from Dec 25 to Jan 10. However, considering the importance of lining the KB Feeder, the closure will be extended to 25 days, as far as the KB Feeder is concerned. The canal will be closed for five days before the scheduled closure and will be opened for regular operations five days later, according to project management.
The KB Feeder Lining project was part of the larger K-IV project that was to ensure the required water needs of Karachi from Kotri Barrage. The lining project was being executed on a 50-50 cost-sharing basis by the federal and Sindh governments after having been approved by the Centre. Project officials, including Project Director Ghulam Mohiuddin, pointed out that this year’s lining work will take the overall physical progress to 75–80 per cent completion. The project was divided into three packages for lining.
Due to new rate schedules, the project cost will stand at around Rs50 billion — up by Rs10bn — after revision (currently pending) is approved. The first cost as per PC-I was approved at Rs39.94bn by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council in July 2023.
Though lining barrages will offer some relief to Karachi’s water crisis, permanent resolution is only possible if extension plans at the water source are set........