Public Provision To Private Dependence: Declining Trust In Municipal Water And The Rise Of Costly Commercial Alternatives In Karachi

Abstract

This study investigates how institutional failure and declining public trust in Karachi’s municipal water systems have compelled households to rely on costly commercial alternatives, transforming water from a public right into a commodity. Amid rapid urbanization and infrastructure decay, the city receives less than half of its daily water requirement, while widespread contamination has undermined public confidence. Using a mixed-methods exploratory design, the research combines household surveys, expert interviews, and microbiological testing of RO water across three socioeconomically distinct neighborhoods—DHA Phase 2 Extension, Federal B Area Block 15, and Korangi Sector 6C—to assess water access, affordability, quality perceptions, and coping strategies. Findings reveal that reliance on bottled and reverse osmosis (RO) water is a structural necessity rather than a preference, with low-income households spending up to 20% of their monthly income and affluent households up to PKR 20,000. Despite high costs, residents express deep skepticism about water safety, citing unhygienic vendor practices and limited regulatory oversight. While RO samples tested microbiologically safe, elevated Total Plate Counts in some cases and the lack of chemical analysis highlight persistent concerns over long-term health risks. These findings underscore how Karachi’s water insecurity reflects broader patterns across the Global South, where neoliberal reforms, intermittent supply, and weak regulation have transformed water from a public right into a commodified, transactional good and disproportionately burdened marginalized communities. The study concludes that Karachi’s crisis stems from systemic institutional failure rather than physical scarcity, and that restoring water equity requires urgent infrastructure renewal, robust regulatory oversight, and participatory, community-led governance reforms. While geographically limited and lacking chemical testing, the research highlights the urgent need for broader, long-term studies to inform rights-based policy interventions aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 6 and to rebuild public trust in municipal water systems.