Karachi’s Essa Nagri still waits for water despite a major supply project

Karachi: Essa Nagri, one of Karachi’s long-neglected informal settlements, continues to face an acute water crisis—despite the presence of a water supply project under the Karachi Water and Sewerage Services Improvement Project (KWSSIP). Over a year has passed since the initiative began, yet clean, piped water remains a distant dream for its residents. The project, which aimed to construct a water tank and introduce a usage-based billing system, has been stalled indefinitely, exposing deeper structural and social challenges within the community and the planning process itself.

At the heart of the issue is the non-construction of the water tank—a critical infrastructure component around which the entire supply plan was designed. The proposed tank required a large, open space for construction, but such land was simply not available in densely populated Essa Nagri. Initially, a church compound was considered for the tank's location, a proposal that sparked immediate controversy. Many residents opposed the idea on religious and cultural grounds, while others, desperate for water, supported it despite the implications. This division within the community—between those who viewed the tank as a practical solution and those who saw it as a threat to a sacred space—led to a deadlock that the project has yet to overcome.

What followed was a period of increasing tension and fragmentation. The construction proposal not only ignited debates but revealed deeper rifts within the community. Residents found themselves divided into groups, leading to verbal clashes, protests, and even hate-driven confrontations. According to several community members, political interference further aggravated the situation. Instead of resolving the matter, external influences deepened mistrust, created confusion, and derailed any hope of consensus. The failure to manage this social unrest underscored the fragile dynamics that any development intervention must navigate in such a complex urban setting.

Many residents, particularly those more educated or civically engaged, attribute this failure to poor groundwork by the implementing authorities. They argue that the project lacked a comprehensive baseline assessment that should have considered the area’s physical limitations, social structures, and behavioral attitudes. Without this critical understanding, the initiative was set up for conflict rather than collaboration. One working woman from the area expressed her frustration, saying that if the project team had carried out thorough research and community consultations from the beginning, the outcome could have been different.

In parallel to the infrastructure component, the project had also launched a social mobilization drive. This included the formation of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) Committees and the establishment of a Community-Based Organization (CBO) meant to represent local interests and promote community ownership. However, the role of these bodies has come under scrutiny. While their formation was widely publicized as a success in community engagement, their effectiveness has been limited by the very lack of water they were meant to manage. One community elder put it plainly: “Water is our most basic need. If we don’t have water, what are these committees even for?”

Adding to the skepticism is the fact that neither the WASH Committees nor the CBO have been formally registered with any government authority. This lack of official recognition has prevented them from functioning with legitimacy or accessing institutional support. Without formal mandate or structure, these entities risk becoming symbolic rather than impactful, further disappointing the already disillusioned community.

Today, the residents of Essa Nagri remain trapped between broken promises and bureaucratic inertia. What was once seen as a hopeful intervention has now become a symbol of mismanagement and missed opportunities. For any future progress to be made, it is clear that development projects must be rooted in a deep understanding of local realities, engage with communities in a meaningful way, and prioritize inclusive, conflict-sensitive planning. Until then, the taps in Essa Nagri will continue to run dry, and with them, the trust of a community long denied its basic rights.