Pakistan invited Chinese companies to invest in Karachi clean drinking water project
Chinese companies have been invited to invest in Karachi’s clean drinking water project during a meeting with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Beijing on Wednesday and they have shown keen interest in investment and joint ventures in Pakistan, as per a report by Radio Pakistan.
During the meeting with Chinese investors the Prime Minister said that the people of Karachi are faced with the issue of water. He expressed the federal and Sindh government's willingness to collaborate with Chinese companies for addressing the water shortage in Karachi.
Various bacteria are found in Karachi’s drinking water. Faced with leaky pipes, faulty treatment plants and illegal tapping, the government of Sindh is struggling to provide clean and safe water to Karachi’s galloping population.
According to the latest report, the situation in Sindh is alarming in terms of water pollution, where despite all efforts, 85% of the water is still not fit for drinking. Hundred percent of water in Mirpur Khas is contaminated — while 94% of Multan, 93% of Karachi, 92% of Badin, 80% of Hyderabad and 7% of Bahawalpur water is not safe to drink.
The contaminated water in the country worst affects Karachi’s population. Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Vice Chairman Najmi Alam said recently that the main reason for the supply of contaminated water to Karachi is the breakdown of the 50-year-old water distribution lines and the leakage of underground sewage lines.
The in-charge of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board South District said in an interview, water is supplied to Karachi from Keenjhar Lake and Hub Dam — “Six hundred million gallons of water are supplied daily through Keenjhar Lake, while 30 to 75 million gallons of water are supplied daily from the Hub Dam. Since Hub Dam is dependent on rainfall, the supply of water fluctuates.”