KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly on Monday echoed with the opposition members` concerns over the acute shortage of water and frequent traffic jams across the city.

Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani told the house that the city`s water issue would be addressed to a large extent after the completion of K-IV project.

In his call attention notice, Jamaat-i-Islami`s (JI) lone member Muhammed Farooq said that there was an acute water shortageinpartsofhisconstituencysuchas Shah Faisal Colony, Green Town, Rafah-iAam and Jamia Millia and the other adjoining areas.

He said that 65 to 70 per cent population of the city was not getting smooth water supply, piling miseries on people.

The JI member said that boring for subsoil water was costing over Rs500,000 which was not affordable for the poor masses.

In reply to the call attention notice of the J1 member, the LG minister said the construction work had been expeditiously continuing on the K-IV, which would be completed by July 2026.

He said that Shah Faisal Colony was the last area that got water through the water utility and there was often no electricity there.

The minister said that there was a water shortage in the area due to its remoteness.

He said that an 84-inch main had been broken in Gulshan-i-Iqbal for three weeks,due to which there was water shortage in different areas of the city.

Mr Ghani told the house that Wapda had been working to construct the component of the K-IV project involving the construction of the water supply line from Keenjhar Lake to Karachi as that portion of the scheme had been completed by 55 per cent.

He said the second phase of the project pertained to shifting of the service lines of the public utilities, which was being carried out under the Karachi Water & Sewerage Improvement Programme. `The CM has immediately released Rs7 billion for the completion of this component,` he said.

The minister said the third component of the K-IV projeet was related to the construction of a 50 MW power station with a cost of Rs16 billion as Hesco was working on that portion.

He said the work on the three portions of the project was likely to be completed by December 2025. `Afterwards, the testing of the project will commence and Karachi will likely to receive additional water throughthe K-IV project by July 2026,` he added.

Shariq Jamal of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan also took up the water shortage issue in his constituency on a point of order and said that there was no water supply to certain parts of Malir, including Khokhrapar, Saudabad and Jinnah Square.

He said that the water supply line from Malir 15 had ended at Mohabatnagar where a water mafia was instrumental to sell the commodity at exorbitant price through donkey carts and pickups to the people of the affected areas.

MQM-P`s Quratul Ain Khan had also forwarded an adjournment motion on the water shortage across the city, but it was rejected by the house after the law and parliamentary minister opposed it.

He said that the opposition member`s motion was not admissible as it was hit by Section 88-K of the Rule of Procedure.

However, the MQM-P member argued that her motion was maintainable as it was the matter of public importance.

Deputy Speaker Anthony ruled themotion out of order.

Traffic jams On a point of order, Opposition Leader Ali Khurshidi took up the issue of frequent traffic jams across the city throughout the day.

He said the traffic system in the city had been completely destroyed. `A 15-minute journey in the city takes two hours,` he lamented.

The opposition leader said that if the traffic police were not capable and efficient to their job, then the assembly members should be put on duty. `We all go to the roads and regulate the traffic,` he said.

Conceding that the traffic jams in the city was a real issue, the law minister said that he had directed the provincial police chief to take effective measure to regulate the traffic.

He said the IGP had sought 20-day time to address the issue. `He has posted new SPs,` he said, adding that he would hold a meeting with the IGP on Wednesday in this regard.

Question Hour In reply to the lawmakers` written and verbal queries during the Question Hour, the local government minister said that 2024 had seen the maximum demolition operations against illegal construction in Karachi and the rest of the province as compared to the previous five years.

He said that recommendations would be sent to the federal government to block the Computerised National Identity Cards and passports of the elements involved in illegal constructions in addition to other punitive steps against them, including imprisonment and fines.He said that action had been taken against 8,171 such illegal buildings from 2018 to 2024. `As many as 1,150 such operations were conducted in 2018; 1,220 operations in 2019; 976 operations in 2020; 1,308 in 2021; 1,142 in 2022; 892 in 2023 and 1,784 operations were conducted in 2024.

Bill passed The assembly passed The Provincial Motor Vehicles (Amendment) Bill, 2024.

Provincial Minister for Excise Mukesh Kumar Chawla told the house that after the amendment bill, it would be mandatory to register a new vehicle within two months, and the old vehicle`s registration book would also have to be surrendered.

He said that would also be mandatory for vehicle owners to make digital cards.

Later, the house was adjourned to Tuesday at 2:30pm.