Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Sindh Assembly has raised concerns over the outstanding dues of over Rs 20 billion on water bills from federal government institutions. These dues, which have been pending since 2016, are owed to the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB) by several federal entities, including Pakistan Steel Mills, Port Qasim Authority, Pakistan Railways, PSO, Sui Southern Gas Company, and others.
The PAC, chaired by Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, held a meeting on Wednesday in which the issue of unpaid water bills was discussed. The committee members, including Qasim Sijad Soomro, CEO of KW&SB, Syed Salahuddin Ahmed, and senior officials from the water board, attended the meeting. The committee revealed that Karachi Water Board has over Rs 20 billion in unpaid water bills from various federal entities, with Pakistan Steel Mills alone owing over Rs 10 billion for the past decade. Other federal institutions, such as Karachi Port Trust (KPT), PSO, Sui Southern Gas, Pakistan Railways, Printing Corporation, and Marine Fisheries, have also failed to clear their dues. The PAC has instructed that the matter of recovering the outstanding payments be taken up with the federal government. A letter will be written to the concerned federal departments to ensure the dues are paid.
The committee emphasized that despite providing water services to federal entities, Karachi’s water board has not received the necessary payments, which the PAC termed as an injustice to Sindh. The committee also inquired about the status of the KE4 water project, which is expected to provide water to Karachi’s households directly through pipelines. The CEO of Karachi Water Board, Salahuddin Ahmed, informed the committee that the project is expected to be completed by December 2025. For the project, WAPDA has requested Rs 80 billion from the federal government this year. The project’s capacity will be 260 million gallons per day (MGD), while Karachi’s total water demand is 600 MGD. To improve the situation, the CEO suggested increasing the capacity of the Hub Canal.
The water board has dismantled 243 illegal hydrants and operates 5,500 water tankers to supply water at government rates. Karachi has 1 million water board consumers, but the recovery rate is only 35%. To address this, the water board has introduced a new payment package. However, due to the lack of water meters, they are unable to disconnect services for non-payment. The water board is installing bulk water meters in industrial zones to monitor and manage water usage more effectively.
A deal has been signed with the World Bank for $15 million to install water meters in 5,000 industrial units, with plans for the second phase to cover more locations within 1 to 1.5 years. The committee stressed the need for interdepartmental coordination and for the federal government to ensure timely payment to the water board. The ongoing issue of unpaid dues continues to affect the smooth functioning of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board, further straining the water supply to the city.
