KARACHI — The leading e-commerce platform in Pakistan, Daraz, has partnered with UNDP Pakistan to provide clean drinking water to an estimated 14,000 households in Rehri Goth, Karachi. This initiative is part of an urban resilience project spearheaded by UNDP Pakistan and IBA Karachi, which focuses on improving the resilience of migrants, displaced people, and host communities in Karachi’s informal settlements.
Pakistan has a scarcity of safe and affordable drinking water. According to a report by the World Health Organization, around 1,00,000 people – including 53,000 children less than 5 years old – pass away due to infections caused by impure water every year. This is why ensuring the availability and sustainable management of clean drinking water is one of the main Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 6) championed by UNDP to achieve Agenda 2030.
Recognizing the dire need for change and understanding the task as its responsibility, Daraz decided to lend its hand to those in need. It aims to help by investing its resources to not only raise awareness on this issue which affects so many Pakistanis each day, but to also improve their access to clean water in a tangible way.
To this end, Daraz, under the IBA-UNDP urban resilience project, will cover the operation and maintenance of a Reverse Osmosis water plant in Rehri Goth. Initially established by aid agency Muslim Hands, the RO plant will provide safe drinking water to around 86,000 people in this 400-year-old fishing village on Karachi’s western coast.
Ammar Hassan, CMO, Daraz Pakistan, expressed his views on Daraz’s commitment to creating a positive impact in the daily lives of average Pakistanis, under their Drop of Life campaign: “Every month, 19 million Pakistanis visit Daraz to shop. By donating a designated portion from each order, Daraz aims to bring a change in the life of those people who do not have access to safe drinking water. The project is one of the many initiatives that reflect our vision to work for the betterment of society & uplift the living standard of communities by nurturing an echo system that strengthens sustainable development under the guidelines of the United Nations”.
Mr. Knut Ostby, Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan, also shared his thoughts: “Safe and affordable drinking water is a basic human right. We welcome our partnership with Daraz, and look forward to serving the residents of Rehri Goth with a much-needed water sanitization project. UNDP is committed to localizing Agenda 2030 in Pakistan, and championing SDG 6 in Karachi’s informal communities is a sure step towards that process”.
