Karachi is racing toward a full blown water catastrophe. A new PCRWR report revealed that half of the city’s 20 million residents lack access to clean drinking water. Alarmingly, 90% of water sources are contaminated with harmful bacteria and chemicals.
As a result, 81% of Karachiites now rely on private vendors, many of whom still supply unsafe water. Waterborne diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis, and diarrhoea are spreading rapidly.
Groundwater salinity levels have reached up to twelve times above global health standards. The city faces a daily shortfall of 550 million gallons. Demands vastly exceed supply in a metropolis already buckling under population pressure and failing infrastructure.
The crisis stems from decades of chronic mismanagement, environmental neglect, and regulatory collapse. The Karachi Water and Sewerage Board supplies just 650 million gallons daily, far short of the 1,200 million gallons needed.
Unregulated tankers and illegal wells fill the rest. Meanwhile, Karachi’s primary water sources, Keenjhar Lake and the Indus River, are poisoned by industrial discharge and untreated sewage.
Pollution made even the most critical supplies scarce. The crisis is especially devastating for the city’s poorest residents. Many are forced to buy overpriced, low quality water or consume brackish groundwater, risking long term health effects.
Experts warn that without urgent, extensive scale reform, Karachi could hit “Day Zero” within 15 years when water stops flowing from the taps entirely. The city’s situation underscores a nationwide emergency.
Pakistan is ranked among the world’s most water stressed countries. Karachi’s water crisis goes beyond scarcity. It’s a symptom of deeper failures in governance, urban planning, and environmental stewardship, and it now threatens the city’s health, stability, and future.