Karachi: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has instructed authorities to fast-track the city’s key sewerage projects, directing that the TP-I section of the long-delayed S-III Sewerage Project be made fully operational by the end of August, while TP-IV should be completed within a year.
Chairing a high-level meeting at CM House, Murad Ali Shah emphasized that Karachi’s wastewater problem demands urgent attention. The S-III project, considered one of the city’s most ambitious sanitation initiatives, aims to tackle the daily discharge of 400 to 450 million gallons of untreated sewage that ends up in the Lyari and Malir rivers — polluting the environment and threatening marine life and public health.
“This project is not just about infrastructure, it’s about protecting the health of our citizens and preserving the coastline,” the chief minister said.
TP-I involves the expansion and rehabilitation of an existing treatment plant and is reportedly 67% complete in terms of civil works. Only the electrical installations remain — a delay that officials say is linked to funding issues. CM Shah urged immediate financial coordination and directed the local government minister and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab to personally oversee progress to avoid further slippage.
The TP-IV portion, which will take a year to complete, is a more advanced component featuring wastewater recycling and real-time flow and quality monitoring.
Officials at the meeting also shared findings from a recent industrial survey, which revealed that over 3,600 industries in Karachi require around 42 million gallons of water daily — underscoring the need to reclaim and reuse treated wastewater efficiently.
“This is not just about sewage treatment anymore,” said one official. “It’s about sustainable urban planning, industry support, and environmental protection.”
With public and environmental pressure mounting, the chief minister made it clear that delays will no longer be tolerated and that accountability will follow if timelines are not met.
