Work on 38-km-long waterline from Dumlottee to DHA to begin next week, announces Karachi mayor

Work on 38-km-long waterline from Dumlottee to DHA to begin next week, announces Karachi mayor

KARACHI: Water shortage in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) and the proposed supply from Dumlottee were the main topics during an interactive session with Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab and residents of DHA on Saturday. Defence Society Residents Association (DSRA) president Sharfuddin Memon hosted the session at his residence, which was also attended by PPP MNA Mirza Ikhtiar Baig and Chief Minister’s Adviser Najmi Alam. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Wahab said that when he first became the Karachi mayor, he was looking for options to get more water to the city. “I noticed a waterline that was above the ground to learn that it was a dedicated water line for SITE. We started working on the same lines for Lyari. And now we have decided to do the same for DHA,” he said. About residents’ concerns that the Dumlottee wells were going dry, the mayor clarified that Dumlottee is only the juncture where there is around 300MGD water available. Tells residents he also lives in DHA and is also dependent on water tankers for his own family’s needs “From there we will build a dedicated waterline right up to Masjid-i-Ayesha on the edge of phases 6 and 7,” he said. “It will be an over-ground line of about 38km and it will supply 10MGD, which is additional to the four to five MGD DHA gets right now,” he said. “This is not a hollow commitment. We have been approved Rs14 billion for it by the government. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation [KWSC] and Frontier Works Organisation have already signed a contract, and we are going to have the groundbreaking this coming Tuesday [Sept 29],” he said. “Secondly, I also have a selfish cause for this project to come through. I live in DHA and am also dependent on water tankers for my own family’s needs,” he said. “Besides, if this pipeline is not completed in 18 months, the construction costs will go up. Therefore, I am pushing for a 12-month time frame for completion instead of 18,” he added. About the desalination plant, Barrister Wahab said that water from it would have cost Rs4 per gallon, but water supplied through the pipeline would be more cost-effective. It will cost 70 to 80 paisa per gallon. Speaking about some other projects for DHA, he also mentioned traffic congestion, for which he had planned several flyovers at choke points such as Khayaban-i-Ittehad and Khayaban-i-Muhafiz, Khayaban-i-Shahbaz and Khayaban-i-Hafiz and the Chaudhry Khaliquzzaman Road and Saylani intersection. MNA Baig said that he has been pushing for the dedicated waterline for DHA since 2024, though it was delayed somewhat after he saw the Hub Canal getting damaged. “Since we can’t afford to let the water to the city get contaminated, we went for new tenders to make sure that water coming to the city is clean,” he said. About the waterline works underway now, he said that it is an affordable and sustainable project. “I would also like to see a committee being formed of DHA residents who can monitor the project and submit their reports to keep it on track,” he added. an affordable and sustainable project. “I would also like to see a committee being formed of DHA residents who can monitor the project and submit their reports to keep it on track,” he added. Advisor to the CM Najmi Alam, meanwhile, pointed to some other things that are also a cause for concern in DHA, such as the law and order situation, youth getting involved in drugs and beggary. “The tea addas that remain open long after midnight are a nuisance, especially for those who live in apartments right above them,” he said. “The rich folk should also keep an eye on their children after handing them so much money,” he added. “Beggars living under bridges and flyovers are also a big problem,” he added further. When asked why Clifton Block 8 and 9 get water while DHA does not, Mr Alam said the area gets water from a different system. “There is just so much water in that system to be directed to Clifton Block 8 and 9 although Zamzama gets some of its water from there, too,” he explained. To another question about water distribution to the rest of DHA after the supply reaches Masjid-i-Ayesha, Barris­t­er Wahab said that it will be KWSC’s responsibility to distribute it to the rest of DHA, with domestic consumers as the priority. When one resident said that too many parks were being used for commercial activity, Mr Wahab replied that his view is to sustain parks through recreational activities. “Public spaces must have activity to beckon people, and they should generate revenue to sustain themselves,” he pointed out. Earlier, the session began with the DSRA president briefing the government officials about the various hardships faced by DHA residents on a daily basis, with water supply being a major issue. “DHA usually receives four to five million gallons per day (MGD), though the actual need is around 10MGD or more. We have held many meetings with government officials but to no result,” he said, while also bringing up the defunct DHA Cogen desalination plant, which is said to have only worked for two or three months. “Now we are hearing the good news about DHA getting a dedicated waterline from Dumlottee that is said to be completed and functional in 18 months. But what happens with such government projects is that they get extended by six months to a year and then another six months until people give up on them,” he said. “Also, many people here are concerned that only three or four of the 12 historic Dumlottee wells are working now while the rest have dried up. So how will we continue to get water from there,” he asked. Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2026