Pakistan water woes offer a test for startup Paani+

Business Recorder reported on a Karachi-based startup, Paani+, founded by Haseeb Ansari, that is building a market for water-management products sold before a crisis rather than during one. Its range includes FloodGuard, a sack of absorbent material that swells on contact with fresh water to form a temporary barrier, alongside GrowMate+ for soil moisture and MediSorb for containing hospital spills. Ansari's pitch centres on water being scarce in some places and excessive in others.

Ansari said the idea came after his own Karachi home was flooded, and the product is now sold as a sandbag alternative. A bag of about 300 grams, he said, swells to 15 to 20 kilograms within three to five minutes, forming a temporary barrier at entrances. The company says the Pakistan Council of Scientific and Industrial Research tested its absorbency, but the product is not meant to replace drainage systems or permanent flood defences.

Ansari said customers are slow to pay for preparedness, citing a rise in fire extinguisher purchases after the Gul Plaza fire in Karachi. He estimated that about 90% of orders come organically, through videos and demonstrations rather than paid advertising. Government bodies responded well to demonstrations, but that positive feedback has not automatically become procurement, and private hospitals have evaluated MediSorb while procurement is under way.