Sindh government to charge Karachiites for using underground water

Karachi residents and industrialists are bracing for a new regulation as the Sindh government has issued a notification mandating a metering system for extracting, consuming, and distributing underground water. This initiative aims to tackle the city's acute water scarcity.

Mayor of Karachi, Murtaza Wahab, confirmed the issuance of a gazette notification by the Sindh government for levying a tax on underground water extraction in Karachi Division and its environs.

The notification encompasses various sectors such as corporations, commercial enterprises, water bottling and packaging industries, and educational institutions utilizing underground water.

Under this measure, digital meters will be installed in hotels, restaurants, manufacturing units, processing facilities, housing societies, cooperative societies, residential complexes, apartments, and high-rise buildings. However, individual residential houses are exempt from this requirement.

In a meeting with the Council of Economic and Energy Journalists, Mayor Wahab disclosed that the installation of digital meters in industrial areas to curb water theft will commence from August 1st.

He noted that despite requests from the CEO of the Trade Development Authority to exempt industrial areas from the metering system, the government has finalized a comprehensive policy for regulating underground water extraction across the commercial sector. It is anticipated that this metering system will generate an annual revenue of one billion rupees.