The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) has approved the Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme (K-IV) Project worth Rs126 billion, said Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar.

The federal minister shared the development via his Twitter handle on Monday.

“ECNEC today approved new design K-IV project worth Rs 126 billion,” he said. Umar added that the project had remained unfinished for decades.

The minister continued that under the project, 260 million gallons of water will be delivered to Karachi by October 2023. “Another promise of Karachi Transformation Plan has been fulfilled,” he said.

The K-IV project is part of the Rs1.1 trillion Karachi Transformation Plan announced by Prime Minister Imran Khan in 2020. The plan involves construction of K-IV project, the development of Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) and the cleaning and development of sewerage and solid waste disposal system.

Karachi Transformation Plan: PM announces historic Rs1,100bn package

The development comes days after Umar in his address in Karachi said that the transaction structure of the KCR project has been approved while the Centre has also taken the responsibility for completing the K-IV project.

“We will be completing the K-IV Bulk Water Supply project before 2023 end, supplying additional 260 mgd water to the city,” he said then.

‘Greater Karachi Water Supply Project K-IV’ Ministry to expedite processing of revised PC-1

Meanwhile, ECNEC in its meeting gave final approval to Kharian Rawalpindi Motorway, a project to be built under public-private partnership. “The project worth Rs96 billion will be completed in 30 months,” informed Umar.

ECNEC has also approved Rs96 billion worth clean water and sanitation project for rural areas of 16 tehsils of South Punjab, he said.

It also approved four major roads of Punjab at a cost of Rs 130 billion. These include Kamalia, Shorkot, Chowk Azam, Layyah Road.

“The second is from Hasilpur to Bhawalnagar. The third road is from Vehari, Pakpattan, Depalpur, and the fourth road included is from Jhang to Shorkot,” he said.

The story was originally published in Business Recorder on January 31, 2022.