K-4 project: City braces for three years of traffic chaos

Karachi's water crisis could soon come with a fresh cost: a prolonged traffic nightmare, as the long-delayed K-IV project prepares to dig up some of the city's busiest roads to install 94 kilometres of water transmission lines - potentially leaving millions of commuters battling disruption for years. The roads identified for the K-IV augmentation works include major stretches from Northern Bypass to Gulbai, including Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, the route from Maskan Chowrangi to Gulshan Chowrangi, Hasan Square to Liaquatabad and Nazimabad to Gulbai - arteries that already experience severe congestion, particularly during evening peak hours. The main concern is not a temporary closure lasting a few weeks or months. The augmentation works are expected to continue for years, while no comprehensive alternative traffic plan has so far been prepared, according to sources familiar with the project. The development comes as the K-IV project, originally conceived more than a decade ago at an estimated cost of Rs25 billion, has ballooned to around Rs224 billion, while the transmission network required to actually bring the additional water into Karachi is still awaiting execution. Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has set December 2026 as the deadline for completion of K-IV. However, senior Water and Sewerage Corporation officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Express Tribune that at the current pace the project was unlikely to be completed before January 2029, with further delays possible. The city currently requires around 1.2 billion gallons of water a day, against a supply of approximately 650 million gallons, leaving a massive shortfall. The K-IV project is intended to provide an additional 260 million gallons per day. Even after its completion, however, the city would still face a daily shortfall estimated at 300-400 million gallons. The critical augmentation network comprises three major lines - R-1, R-2 and R-3, stretching 26km, 40km and 28km respectively, for a combined length of 94km. The lines, ranging from 72 to 96 inches in diameter, are the key infrastructure required to distribute the additional water into the city. The R-2 line will run from Northern Bypass towards Toll Plaza, Super Highway, Janjal Goth, Sohrab Goth, Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, Disco Bakery, Gulshan Chowrangi, Rab Medical Centre, Sir Syed University and Nipa Chowrangi, where it will connect with the existing augmentation line. From Hasan Square, the network will continue towards Gharibabad, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Habib Bank Chowrangi and ultimately Gulbai. The routes include some of Karachi's most heavily used roads, raising fears of serious traffic disruption once excavation begins. Sources said the three lines were estimated to cost around Rs80b, with 80% of the financing expected through loans from two international financial institutions and the remaining 20% to be provided by the Sindh govt. Another Rs124 billion is expected to be spent on transmission lines, pumping stations, filtration plants and related works. The K-IV augmentation work between Nipa Chowrangi and Hasan Square began in November 2025, covering just 2.7km. Almost 10 months later, around 70% of the work has reportedly been completed, with another two months or more potentially required. Sources said this was only the initial stage of the augmentation project, while work on the much larger R-1, R-2 and R-3 network had yet to begin and contracts had not been finalised. The question now facing the city is how long the 94km network will take if just 2.7km has required almost a year. A senior Water Corporation official confirmed that the lines required for distributing the additional water had yet to be started and that their contract had also not been awarded. At the current pace, the official said, K-IV could take until 2029 to become operational. The planned excavation has also raised questions about coordination among government departments. KMC is currently carrying out resurfacing work on parts of Abul Hasan Isphahani Road, around Disco Bakery and Maskan, even though the same roads are expected to be excavated once the K-IV augmentation work begins. Meanwhile, when The Express Tribune team visited Hasan Square-Nipa Chowrangi site to cover the ongoing K-IV augmentation work, personnel present there stopped the team from filming. The staff were asked who had ordered them to prevent media coverage but did not provide an answer.