Jan 24 – The S-3 sewage treatment project, launched in 2007 with the goal of safeguarding Pakistan’s coastal areas, has faced years of setbacks and delays, leading to a significant gap between its initial expectations and current progress. Designed to treat sewage water before it’s discharged into the ocean through four treatment plants—TP-I, TP-II, TP-III, and TP-IV—the project was a collaboration between the federal and provincial governments.
Construction was initially delayed for seven years, with work only beginning in 2014. Despite the initial target to complete the project within two years, nearly a decade later, just 7.6% of the sewage water dumped into the ocean is being processed.
According to sources from the Express Tribune, Phase 1 of the project, involving the installation of a pipeline in the Lyari River, is nearing completion. However, treatment plants TP-I and TP-III, which are designed to treat 100 million gallons per day (MGD) and 180 MGD of sewage, respectively, remain far from fully operational. “The goal was to treat 460 MGD of sewage. TP-III was partially operationalized in 2018 by the Supreme Court’s directive, processing 54 MGD. Today, only 35 MGD is treated,” confirmed an official from the Karachi Water and Sewage Corporation (KWSC).
The exclusion of TP-II, due to construction on surrounding land, and the consistent delays of TP-I and TP-III were fueled by disputes between the federal and provincial governments over the rising cost of the project, further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted construction for four years, from 2019 to 2023.
Originally, the federal and provincial governments were to share the cost of the project equally, with an initial budget of Rs7.9 billion. However, disagreements between the two led the federal government to withdraw, leaving the Sindh government to shoulder the full financial burden.
Project Director Nizamuddin Sheikh confirmed that while the federal government did release its portion of Rs3.5 billion, it has since refused to contribute further. “The Sindh government will bear all future expenses. To date, Rs15 billion has been spent, and Rs3 billion is allocated for this year,” Sheikh stated.
The project’s cost increased to Rs36 billion, a move that the federal government objected to, further delaying progress until 2023. The new budget was eventually approved, with the federal government agreeing to pay its original share, while the Sindh government would cover the additional funds.
Sheikh added that the scope of the project has been reduced following the cancellation of Phase 2 and TP-IV. “The revised budget is now Rs29 billion. Work on the 33-kilometer pipeline from Surjani Town to Mauripur is partially completed, and work on TP-III continues. The project is expected to be fully completed by June 2026,” he said.
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