There are at least seven myths regarding Karachi’s affairs. One, it is believed that the mayor calls the shots in managing urban affairs, when the truth is that the mayor and KMC only deal with peripheral city matters, given the reduced status of the municipality under the prevailing Sindh Local Government Act. Under the ruling clique at the helm, the mayor is a mere figurehead for media consumption. He wields less power than his predecessor did; the latter could at least choose or write his own script. Karachi is firmly under the grip of the provincial government and the institutions governing various sectors of municipal performance. The Sindh Building Control Authority, the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) are some examples of the bodies that manage Karachi under the overall control of the provincial government.

Two, it is assumed that once the large ongoing development projects are completed, Karachi’s nightmares will be over. This is incorrect. Most of these projects are standalone undertakings that will have little cumulative effect on the sectors for which they have been initiated. Take the K-IV project slated to provide some 260 million gallons of water daily when its first phase is completed. The truth is that it will only be of use to consumers when street and lane water supply lines are revamped in neighbourhoods. Besides, there is a strong possibility that much of this water will be siphoned off for newer real estate developments in the city.

Three, IFIs co-financing the projects are painted as saviours. It is believed that the developments with which these institutions are associated are technically valid and economically and socially sustainable. The reverse is true. Efforts to restructure the city’s water utility (KWSC) have been undertaken for years. A major IFI has extended a loan to transform the utility, but little success has been achieved on this front. There have been only a few cosmetic changes — including the creation of a board chaired by the mayor. Water supply and sewerage management remains deplorable. One finds official tankers of the law-enforcement agencies queuing up to access water from hydrants for their own installations. Ordinary consumers end up paying hefty amounts for water tankers.

Confusion clouds the state of affairs in Karachi.

Four, opposing political voices — especially in municipal bodies — are seen to be on the right path regarding urban management options for Karachi, whereas the religio-political party that dominates this narrative is only exploiting urban affairs to regain lost ground. It has resorted to rabble-rousing but failed to come up with a city manifesto with input from citizens, which include diverse social, religious and ethnic stakeholders.

Five, it is lamented that due to overlapping jurisdictions of the land management agencies, Kar­achi has become unmanageable. The actual boundaries, service delivery areas and territories are clearly demarcated in official records. The concerned staff of the local authorities understand these boundaries reasonably well. There are a few conflict points but these do not pose a serious challenge to streamlining city management.

Six, encroachments are blamed squarely on katchi abadi dwellers, the dispossessed and urban poor, when, in fact, the public agencies, government departments and formal private enterprises themselves erect such illegal structures. A case in point — the parking lot of the top court in the city is built on a storm-water drain.

Lastly, it is argued that the absence of finance is behind all Karachi’s woes. In actuality, it is the politics of keeping the provincial financial commission dormant, inefficient enforcement and collection of property tax and many other sources of revenue, and poor financial management that are responsible. It is time to take stock of these realities, evolve a common manifesto and rally around core governance issues to break free from these myths.

Published in Dawn, By Noman Ahmed October 7th, 2025