Karachi Division

Karachi : ReNews Pakistan
The Sindh Cabinet has approved a revised budget of Rs 14.237 billion for the construction of a dedicated water supply pipeline that will deliver water from Dumlottee, on the outskirts of Karachi, to the Defence Housing Authority (DHA). The decision reflects a nearly 40 percent increase over the project's original estimated cost of Rs10.56 billion, which was approved in July 2025 to address the long standing water shortage affecting DHA residents.
The project is intended to provide a reliable and sustainable water supply to one of Karachi’s largest residential communities, where many households have depended heavily on private water tankers due to inadequate municipal water availability.
According to the Sindh government, the revised Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) cost has increased following significant changes to the project's technical design and scope. The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) has been entrusted with executing the pipeline project.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon stated that the revised estimate incorporates engineering modifications, upgraded pipeline materials, inflationary pressures, higher taxation, and the inclusion of additional infrastructure such as modern filtration facilities, a real time monitoring system, and other operational improvements designed to enhance the project's long term efficiency and reliability.
In addition to approving the revised construction cost, the cabinet authorised the appointment of a project consultant in accordance with the applicable public procurement laws to oversee implementation and ensure compliance with technical and regulatory standards.
The cabinet also approved an increase in the bulk water tariff from Rs 0.60 per gallon to Rs 0.70 per gallon as part of the project's updated financial framework. Officials said the revised tariff structure is intended to support the project's operational sustainability while maintaining long term financial viability.
Despite the higher upfront investment, the updated financial model indicates that the dedicated water supply system is expected to generate net savings of approximately Rs 2.31 billion over the next 10 years by reducing dependence on costly water tanker services, improving distribution efficiency, and lowering operational losses.
The project forms part of Sindh's broader efforts to strengthen Karachi's urban water infrastructure and improve access to dependable water supplies for rapidly growing residential areas through modern engineering solutions and long term investment in essential public utilities.

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan
Electricity consumption by industries supplied by K-Electric reached a record 6.08 billion units during the financial year 2025–26, marking the highest annual industrial power usage in the company’s history.
According to the latest data released by K-Electric, the industrial sector consumed 5.04 billion units of electricity in FY2024–25. This represents an annual increase of approximately 20 percent.
The previous record for industrial electricity consumption was set in FY2021–22, when usage stood at 5.84 billion units. The latest figures show that this record was surpassed during FY2025–26.
Industries falling under the B3 consumer category recorded the highest electricity consumption. This category includes industrial consumers with power requirements ranging from 501 to 5,000 kilowatts, including steel, cement, textile and other energy-intensive manufacturing units.
On a monthly basis, industrial electricity consumption peaked in June 2026, followed by April 2026. However, the figure of 6.08 billion units represents total consumption for the entire financial year rather than usage in a single month.
K-Electric said 349 new industrial electricity connections were activated during the financial year, while the sanctioned power load of 273 existing industrial consumers was increased. These developments added a combined 168 megawatts to industrial demand on the company’s network.
The company said industrial feeders have been exempt from load-shedding since 2013. A comparatively higher electricity bill recovery rate among industrial consumers has also been cited as a key reason for maintaining uninterrupted power supply to the sector.
The significant increase in industrial electricity consumption is being linked to a recovery in manufacturing activity in Karachi, the addition of new industrial connections, higher power loads at existing factories and a government policy encouraging industries to obtain electricity from the national grid instead of operating their own power generation facilities.

Karachi | ReNews Pakistan
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reaffirmed that the Prime Minister’s Apna Ghar Scheme is open to all eligible citizens who do not own a residential property in their name, highlighting the government’s efforts to broaden access to affordable housing finance and encourage home ownership across the country.
Speaking at a workshop on the scheme, SBP Executive Director of the Islamic Finance Group, Ghulam Muhammad Abbasi, said the programme is designed to accommodate applicants from all professional backgrounds, including journalists, lawyers, judges, policymakers, government employees, military personnel and members of the private sector. He added that overseas Pakistanis are also eligible to apply under the scheme.
Abbasi explained that the programme offers flexible eligibility criteria to help more families qualify for financing. Applicants may submit a joint application with up to three additional individuals to strengthen their repayment capacity. Elderly applicants who may not have sufficient income can also apply jointly with employed and earning family members.
He further noted that the scheme is open to both salaried individuals with documented income and self-employed or informal-sector workers who do not possess conventional salary slips, provided they can satisfy banks' financing requirements through other acceptable means.
Providing an update on the programme's performance, Abbasi said commercial banks have received more than 107,000 applications since the scheme was launched in March 2025. Nearly 80% of these applications were submitted after the government revised the scheme in September 2025, making it more attractive by increasing the maximum loan amount to PKR 10 million and fixing the subsidised markup rate at 5% for the first 10 years.
According to the latest figures, more than 27,000 applications have been approved, while approximately 13,000 were rejected after assessment. As of June 30, 2026, banks had disbursed over 6,000 housing loans worth more than PKR 26 billion, with the average financing amount standing at approximately PKR 4.8 million.
The federal government has set an ambitious target of disbursing 150,000 housing loans during FY2026-27 and has allocated PKR 71 billion in the federal budget to subsidise financing under the programme.
Abbasi also clarified that applicants are not required to pay any processing fee when applying for loans under the scheme. However, borrowers opting for the maximum 20-year repayment period will pay the subsidised 5% markup during the first decade, after which the remaining tenure will be financed at prevailing market-based interest rates.
The SBP official said the initiative is intended to make home ownership more accessible, particularly for low- and middle-income households, while supporting the government's broader objective of reducing Pakistan's housing shortage through affordable and inclusive housing finance.