— Experts Warn of Cost Escalation, Poor Construction, and No Increase in Karachi’s Water Supply
Nazir Siyal / DNA
KARACHI: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to inaugurate the Hub Canal project on August 13 (Today), despite the fact that it remains incomplete and could see costs balloon into additional billions.
The project, launched under the leadership of Karachi Mayor and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation Chairman Barrister Murtaza Wahab, was designed to supply 100 million gallons of water per day to Karachi through a 22-kilometer-long canal.
Ground inspections revealed and witnessed that 4 kilometers of the new canal have not been built, and water is currently being diverted through the old canal route. At the unfinished stretch, only partial diversion works exist, and a major aqueduct is still under construction, as seen in video images also.
Costing Rs 14 billion, this is the first major construction jointly undertaken by the Sindh Government and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, under a government-to-government deal with WAH Construction Company.
However, WAH subcontracted the work without formal approval to controversial contractor Ashraf D. Baloch & Company, known for poor-quality projects, and the consultancy was given to Usman & Company, previously blacklisted from the DHA City project and held responsible for failures in the K-IV water project.
Key flaws identified by sources include, No enhancement in filtration or pumping capacity.
The testing phase skipped critical international safety procedures.
Use of outdated 30–40-year-old construction methods.
Engineering experts warn that without phased water-filling and monitoring for leaks or structural weakness, the canal could suffer long-term damage. If faults emerge after water release, repairs will be extremely costly and may cut off water supply to large areas of Karachi.
The original Hub Dam agreement with WAPDA dates back to 1984, but in 2001 maintenance responsibility for the 22.74 km stretch from Zero Point to Manghopir Pumping Station shifted to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board.
It is pertinent to mention that the years of neglect have left walls and bridges cracked, causing water loss, reducing supply from 100 million gallons per day to just 62 million gallons reaching the station.
Even upon completion, officials admit the city’s supply will only grow by 38 million gallons daily over the next 20 years, due to pumping and filtration bottlenecks.
Despite the incomplete state and the risk of cost overruns, the inauguration will go ahead on August 13th, raising concerns that political optics are being prioritised over engineering integrity.
Experts fear the Hub Canal could become another expensive and underperforming infrastructure project for Karachi.
This scribe tried to contact the Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab and Project Director Sikander Zardari and Managing Director LW&SC also, but they didn’t respond the calls and messages.
 Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to inaugurate the Hub Canal project on August 13 (Today),){kind=link}