Nehr-e-Khayyam in Clifton to become a clean-water canal within two months

Nehr-e-Khayyam in Clifton, Karachi, will have its sewage diverted and the drain covered, and a clean-water canal with greenery will be built in its place within two months, Sindh Local Government Minister Nasir Shah said during a site visit on Monday, Dawn reported. Sindh Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah chaired a review meeting on the project the same day.

Nehr-e-Khayyam (also written Nehr-i-Khayyam) now carries sewage through Clifton. The department says the work is meant to end the foul smell and the health risks that come with an open sewage channel in a residential area.

What the project includes

• Covering the drain and diverting the sewage that now flows in it.
• Better drainage, which the Local Government Department says should reduce urban flooding in the area.
• A clean-water canal as part of a beautification plan, with trees and greenery along its banks.
• Preserving what the department calls the site's historical and environmental significance.

Residents' concerns

The chief minister took notice of residents' complaints about the construction work, Dawn reported. Nasir Shah said no encroachment or unrelated construction was taking place, and the department said no commercial activity is planned under the project. That answers the main worry raised whenever a Karachi nullah is covered: that the new land is later handed over for shops or parking.

What we do not know yet

The government has not published the project's cost, its length or who is paying for it, and it has not said where the diverted sewage will go. A two-month deadline would put completion around the third week of December 2026. We will update this page when the department publishes those figures.

Living near the canal

For the next two months expect work along the Clifton stretch. If you are buying or renting in Clifton or nearby DHA phases, cleaner surroundings usually push rents up: our rental yield calculator shows what a rent means as a return on the price. Hospitals near Clifton are listed in our Karachi hospitals directory.