Karachi has always been a city of extremes — scorching sun, torrential rains, and relentless urban sprawl. But these extremes are not just environmental; they mirror governance, inequality, and the nation’s readiness to safeguard its future. The 7th Karachi International Water Conference (KIWC), organized by the Hisaar Foundation and publicly represented by Starlinks PR & Events, brought together policymakers, scientists, activists, and community leaders under the theme “Water for Health, Dignity, and Development” to confront one urgent truth: Pakistan can no longer afford to treat water as a mere resource — it must be protected as the foundation of life itself.
Simi Kamal, Chairperson of Hisaar Foundation, opened the conference with piercing clarity: “We are not just managing water anymore, we are managing survival. Every flood, every drought, is a mirror held up to our governance and our conscience.” Supported by UNICEF Pakistan, the World Bank, InfraZamin, MyWater, and the Karachi School of Business & Leadership, the event spotlighted how coordinated funding, international expertise, and public-private partnerships are driving solutions in a nation too often left drowning in its own inaction.
The government’s presence at the conference reaffirmed that the state cannot stand apart from these challenges. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has stressed upon the urgency of completing the long-delayed K-IV water supply project, urging the Centre to expand Karachi’s allotment from the Hub Dam. “Phase-I of the project is aimed at delivering 260 million gallons per day,” he said, “but Karachi still needs far more to meet its growing demand.” At the federal level, Mian Muhammad Mueen Wattoo, Minister for Water Resources, has reiterated commitments to a science-based approach to water governance and the timely completion of key projects. These statements mirror KIWC’s core goal: to turn talk into tangible progress through data, accountability, and cooperation.
Beyond policy halls and press statements, the human cost remains staggering. Pakistan’s floods in recent years have not only displaced millions but also exposed women and children to heightened risks of gender-based violence. With shelter insecurity, poor sanitation, and limited clean water access, displaced women face threats that go far beyond survival. Conference speakers emphasized that climate resilience cannot be separated from gender equity and that true recovery requires safe facilities, accessible sanitation, and systems that protect dignity as much as they preserve life.
Lack of basic education about water management and sanitation compounds the problem. In rural Sindh and southern Punjab, communities often rely on unsafe groundwater and unlined ponds for drinking and cooking, unaware of contamination risks. Many families, particularly in remote villages, have no concept of safe waste disposal or hygiene, leading to high rates of diarrheal disease and child mortality. Speakers urged that education must precede infrastructure by teaching rural populations how to manage resources, conserve water, and maintain sanitation facilities. Without this, every new filtration plant or pipeline remains at risk of failure.
Sanitation, long ignored in national planning, became the emotional core of the discussion. Nearly 40% of children under five in Pakistan are stunted, a statistic tied directly to poor sanitation and contaminated water. UNICEF’s WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) program has been pivotal, from introducing handwashing stations in schools to installing low-cost wastewater treatment units in rural areas. “Sanitation is not an afterthought,” said Sarah Hassan, UNICEF’s WASH Specialist. “It’s the foundation of dignity, disease prevention, and equality.”
Funding and innovation met reality in three remarkable case studies shared at the conference:
In Tharparkar, the Hisaar Foundation, with World Bank support, installed solar-powered boreholes that now provide clean water to 800 villagers and 600 livestock, while empowering local women to manage and maintain the systems.
In Chakwal, a rural education initiative tied to the Punjab Rural Water Supply Program introduced community-led hygiene training alongside hand pump installations, proving that education and infrastructure must advance hand in hand.
Meanwhile, in Karachi’s Lyari and Korangi districts, studies published in the MDPI Journal (2024) revealed that low-income households receive less than 30% of their official water allocation, forcing them to rely on unsafe tanker supplies. This itself is a grim reminder of how inequitable distribution fuels both disease and debt.
Health professionals tied these threads together. Dr. Qaiser Sajjad of the Pakistan Medical Association reminded attendees, “Every outbreak begins at the faucet.” Contaminated water is not only a driver of malnutrition and stunting but also the root of recurring epidemics, from cholera to hepatitis. His call was blunt but vital: without safe water, there is no health system strong enough to compensate for the damage.
As the conference drew to a close, the mood shifted from urgency to resolve. The 7th KIWC’s goal was clear- to build a national roadmap that unites policy, funding, and education into a coherent strategy for resilient water governance. The floods have shown how fragile our systems are; the gender-based risks have shown how unevenly that fragility is felt. Yet, from Tharparkar’s solar wells to Punjab’s village pumps, hope flows wherever partnership meets purpose.
Pakistan’s fight for water is no longer technical, it is moral. It is a battle for dignity, health, and the future of its children. As Simi Kamal concluded, “We either drown in denial or rise with purpose.” With the government, international partners, and local communities aligned, that rise has already begun, not as a dream, but as a duty.
