KARACHI: Hina Mehmood Javed, a mother of three, opened the door to her second-floor apartment in Karachi earlier this week after she heard the familiar cry of ‘pani wala’ [water man] followed by a knock.
Outside, a young man stood with a heavy 19-liter water bottle, which he delivered for a fee to Javed, one among hundreds of thousands of residents in Pakistan’s commercial hub of Karachi who are buying water from plants that use reverse osmosis to separate pollutants.
A Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) study conducted last year showed that 90 percent of water from samples collected from various places in Karachi was unsafe for drinking purposes, contaminated with E. coli, coliform bacteria, and other harmful pathogens. And that’s when there is water flowing through the city’s water pipes. Most residents are forced to get their water through drilled motor-operated wells (known as ‘bores’), even as ground water in the coastal city tends to be salty, and unfit for human consumption.
The only other option for residents is to either buy unfiltered water from private water tanker operators, who fill up at a network of legal and illegal water hydrants across the city, or buy from RO plants that they visit to fill up bottles or have delivered to their homes.
“We have to buy it [water] from outside and sometimes it happens that when the weekends come or when there are government holidays, and there’s no water at home, we have to use water like gold,” Javed told Arab News as she paid Rs100 ($0.36) for the water bottle, which is delivered daily.
“We have to buy and drink water because clean water is not available to us.”
The chronic shortage of drinking water is caused by a broken distribution system as well as leakages and inefficiency in the system and theft.
Dr. Muhammad Bashir Lakhani, a water and energy expert associated with a company working on the K-4, a major project that aims to address Karachi’s chronic water shortages, said the city’s daily water consumption was around 1,250 million gallons.
The megacity draws its water mainly from the Keenjhar Lake, a man-made reservoir about 150km from the city, which sources it from the Indus River. Through a network of canals and conduits, 550 million gallons of water a day (MGD) is fed into the city’s main pumping station at Dhabeji, most of which, a staggering 42 percent or 235 MGD, is either lost or stolen before it ever reaches consumers, according to KWSB data.
And the water that does manage to reach people’s homes was largely unfiltered and untreated, Dr. Lakhani told Arab News.
“Not only is it not treated but most of the time it is polluted,” he said. “It is mixed with sewage and wastewater flows.”
“FORCED TO BUY WATER”
Many, like Muhammad Adeel, are tapping into this problem of impure water by going into the filtration business, setting up small RO water plants inside their shops or homes to supply filtered water to households.
Adeel, whose plant is located in the city’s old and busy Burns Road neighborhood, explained that his system treated water through seven different processes before it became drinkable.
“It [plant] contains minerals which dissolve in it, making it mineral water,” Adeel told Arab News.
Dr. Lakhani, however, said while water provided by RO plants may be safer to drink compared to piped water, it was still not entirely safe for consumption.
“Most of these RO plants do not follow the required environmental health cleaning sanitization requirements,” he said.
But residents have no choice and there are hardly any neighborhoods in the sprawling metropolis where at least two RO plants are not operating.
“You do the math, there are thousands of plants. If at least five to six workers are working on one plant, then you can calculate how many households are being served by this,” Adeel said. “This is a good source of employment for people.”
Residents too said they had no choice, even though it was unfair to have to pay for water, which was the government’s responsibility to provide.
“We have cut down on many expenses to buy water because survival is impossible without water,” Javed the housewife said.
Dr. Lakhani agreed:
“Ten to fifteen years ago, bottled water was considered to be a luxury. But now every person is forced to buy the water from these water filtration companies.”
Amid Karachi’s chronic drinking water crisis, hundreds of thousands forced to buy from filtration companies
https://arab.news/2kx7m
Amid Karachi’s chronic drinking water crisis, hundreds of thousands forced to buy from filtration companies
- KWSC study conducted last year showed 90% of water from samples collected across Karachi was unsafe for drinking purposes
- Impure water has forced people to spend thousands of rupees monthly on filtered water sold by reverse osmosis plants
Afghan cattle farmers fear for future and flock as Pakistan deportation threat looms
- Kuchi tribe members, who trace their origins to neighboring Afghanistan, frequently migrated to Pakistan to raise livestock
- They fear repatriation as Pakistan has not yet extended June 30 deadline for Afghan Proof of Registration card-holders to leave
ISLAMABAD: Saeed Khan tapped his wooden staff rhythmically as he guided over two dozen cattle and sheep into a livestock enclosure bound by mud and fencing fashioned out of thorny branches. The soft sound of hooves over the dusty ground could be heard as Khan went about his work, with the occasional sound of bleats filling the air.
Khan, 48, is a member of the nomadic Kuchi tribe that traces its origins to Afghanistan. The Kuchis depend on animals for their livelihood and their movements historically were determined by the weather and the availability of good pastures.
Khan, whose ancestors used to come to Pakistan only during the winters and would return to the high-altitude pastures of Afghanistan during summers, made Pakistan his permanent home in the ‘80s, but he now fears for the future, with
Islamabad’s June 30 deadline for Afghan Proof of Registration (PoR) card holders to leave the country over by almost two weeks.
“At first, there wasn’t any card issue,” Khan told Arab News, minding his flock in Islamabad. “Our people didn’t know much about it. It’s only now that the problem has come up, that we’ve realized.”
The problem Khan referred to is a controversial deportation drive that Pakistan launched in 2023 against what it described as “illegal foreigners,” mostly Afghans, in the country. Islamabad this year said it wanted 3 million Afghans to leave the country, including 1.4 million people with PoR cards and some 800,000 with Afghan Citizen Cards (ACC).
According to data from the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), more than 900,000 Afghans have left Pakistan since the expulsion drive began. While Pakistan deported thousands of ACC holders, the government said those with PoR cards could stay until June 30.
The Pakistan government cites economic stress and security concerns as reasons to push ahead with the expulsion drive, while human rights advocates say the move threatens people who have lived in Pakistan for decades and contributed significantly to its informal economy and urban infrastructure.
The Kuchi nomads would spend the winters in the Indus Valley region or parts of southern Afghanistan and Balochistan before heading for the Hindu Kush mountains in the summer each year, according to Professor Thomas Barfield, president of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies and a leading anthropologist on Afghan culture at Boston University. Presently, they number around a million in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Khan, after settling in Pakistan, has raised animals not only to sell them for the Eid Al-Adha sacrifice, when cattle are in high demand, but also for exports.
“I do both cattle and sheep [farming],” Khan explained. “Especially Turkish sheep for sacrifice. [But] most of our animals go to factories, one in Raiwind Lahore, one in Kasur, one in Kamoke, then they’re exported abroad.”
There are many mud shelters near Khan’s home along the Qur’ang river in Islamabad that now lie abandoned. They were once inhabited by Kuchi families who had ACCs but were expelled by Pakistani authorities.
The empty shelters serve as a stark reminder for Khan and other PoR card-holders such as his nephew, Mohammad Ullah, of what the future may bring.
“This place where they used to live, they left it as they were,” Ullah told Arab News, pointing to the empty huts.
Some ACC holders remain, concealing their identity out of fear of deportation, but the majority of Kuchis here holds PoR cards. Some of the Kuchis were left out when they were being registered as they were away herding animals in remote areas.
A Kuchi person, who spoke to Arab News on condition of anonymity, said his entire family had PoR cards except for him.
“The thing is, we have six children here. If I go to Afghanistan, my children will stay here, right?” he asked. “So, what will I do there, and what will they do here?”
Khan also worries about his livestock and says he would have to sell them all if Pakistani authorities forced him to leave.
“Because they won’t let us take it across the border [to Afghanistan],” he said, bearing a tensed look on his face.
Wasim Akram hails ‘modern-day great’ Starc on 100-Test milestone
- Mitchell Starc becomes the 83rd player and 16th Australian to play 100 Tests
- The 35-year-old is only the second Australian fast bowler after Glenn McGrath
KARACHI: Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram on Saturday hailed Australia’s Mitchell Starc as a “modern-day great” for reaching 100 Test appearances.
Starc, who draws comparisons with fellow left-arm quick Akram, will reach the milestone later Saturday when the third Test against the West Indies begins in Jamaica.
“It is a big deal in this day and age to reach 100 Tests, congratulations to Starc,” Akram told AFP.
“That shows the quality and resolve of the man.”
The 35-year-old becomes the 83rd player and 16th Australian to play 100 Tests, and only the second Australian fast bowler after Glenn McGrath.
“To play 100 Tests shows how consistent Starc has been and also shows where his priorities lie — that is to play red-ball cricket,” said Akram.
“He has also played Twenty20 and league cricket but his career in Test cricket is way ahead and to me he is a modern-day great.”
Starc stands on 395 Test wickets, so has the tantalising prospect of taking his landmark 400th wicket during his 100th Test. His strike rate is remarkably similar to Akram, who retired in 2002 after taking 414 wickets in 104 Tests.
Both players, said Akram, had suffered injuries to “every joint, every part of the body” during their careers.
“People often compare us but we have played in different eras,” said Akram.
“He’s got the pace, he’s got the swing and he’s bowling very intelligently to the new batsman, especially with the new ball.”
Pakistan eyes Google collaboration for community-driven innovation and AI adoption
- Pakistan is currently focused on AI training in the fields of education, workforce development and industrial innovation
- Minister says enhanced collaboration will accelerate Pakistan’s integration into the global AI ecosystem, digital empowerment
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and American multinational corporation and technology giant Google are seeking to collaborate with each other in community-driven innovation and the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) in the South Asian country, according to the Pakistani IT ministry.
The statement came after IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja’s meeting with Google’s Regional AI Developer Ecosystem and Communities team to explore strategic collaboration in advancing Pakistan’s AI landscape.
The Google team provided an overview of their developer ecosystem, contributions of Google Developer Groups (GDGs), community-based AI initiatives, and impactful platforms like Taleemabad.
In the wider policy discussion, Khawaja emphasized the government’s focus on AI training across three critical domains: mainstream education, workforce development including freelancers, and industrial innovation.
“She stressed the need for inclusive access to tools such as the AI Seekho program, sandbox environments, and cloud credits,” the IT ministry said.
“She called for enhanced collaboration between Google and the Ministry of IT & Telecommunication (MoITT) to accelerate Pakistan’s integration into the global AI ecosystem and promote equitable digital empowerment.”
During the meeting, Khawaja also had an interactive session with the N+1 team, a group of young Pakistani developers recently selected among the global top 10 in the Google Solution Challenge. The team proudly represented Pakistan at the regional showcase in the Philippines.
Khawaja praised their achievement and called it a testament to the country’s emerging talent pool and the importance of nurturing such success stories through structured support and mentorship, according to the IT ministry.
On Friday, Google said it has expanded access to its advanced video generation model, Veo 3, allowing users in Pakistan and over 150 other countries to create eight-second videos from photos with sound.
The move comes amid a global surge in interest in creative AI tools, with content creators using different platforms to generate video stories and bring still images to life. With Pakistan’s growing pool of digital creators, the rollout is expected to spur local innovation in short-form content.
Pakistan, Bahrain vow to boost security cooperation
- Officials of the two countries held discussions in Manama on counter-terrorism, human trafficking and anti-narcotics
- Pakistani interior minister calls enhancing cooperation in counter-narcotics, anti-human trafficking ‘need of the hour’
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain have resolved to further strengthen their security collaboration in various fields, Pakistani state media reported on Saturday.
The consensus was reached during a meeting between Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bahraini counterpart, General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al-Khalifa, in Manama.
The two sides held discussions on bilateral cooperation in counter-terrorism, combating human trafficking and anti-narcotics efforts as well as to make Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Security Committee more effective.
“Enhancing cooperation in counter-narcotics and anti-human trafficking efforts is the need of the hour,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
The Bahraini interior minister said his country valued Pakistan’s cooperation in security and other fields.
Bahrain is one of the important countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and a favorite destination for the Pakistani workforce since the early 1970s, according to the Pakistani foreign ministry.
Both countries have a Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) at the level of the foreign ministers and a trade volume that has ranged between $500 million and $1 billion in recent years.
Pakistan plans to launch transshipment operations between Gwadar and Gulf region
- The country has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment
- Islamabad also seeks to cut container dwell time at ports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness, ease congestion
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government is actively engaging private shipping liners to commence transshipment operations between Gwadar and the Gulf region, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.
The statement came from officials at a high-level meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Gwadar Port operationalization, which was presided over by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal.
Maritime officials informed the participants that initial cargo categories will include minerals, dates, seafood, and cement, targeting sectors such as mining, fisheries, and processing industries.
Iqbal said Gwadar’s geostrategic position as the shortest trade route to the Gulf and Central Asia highlighted the port’s potential as a regional transshipment hub, the Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.
“Iqbal emphasized the need to showcase Gwadar Port in international road-shows as a strategic trade hub linking the Gulf and Central Asia,” the report read. “He directed stakeholders to promote the port’s cost-effective trade routes and available incentives for international businesses.”
Gwadar, situated along the Arabian Sea, lies at the heart of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), under which Beijing has funneled tens of billions of dollars into massive transport, energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan.
Pakistan, slowly recovering from a macroeconomic crisis under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) deal, has been looking to capitalize on its geostrategic location to boost transit trade and foreign investment for a sustainable economic recovery.
The country plans to cut container dwell time at its seaports by up to 70 percent to improve trade competitiveness and ease congestion, while it last month reduced port charges for exporters by 50 percent at the country’s second biggest Port Qasim.
