Daily Times

KARACHI: Sindh Local Government Department (LGD) has handed over 23-kilometer long Gujjar Nullah project of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation worth Rs 1.5 billion to Karachi Development Authority for completion, officials of KDA informed.

Due to non availability of funds and non-appointment of consultant on the project, LGD has decided to give this project to KDA.

Chief Engineer KDA, Ram Chand has informed that approved PC-I of the project has been given to a private consultant company for upgrading and bringing change in term on development angles.

He said that on receiving PC-I, and finalising of tender process it has been expected that work would be started on the project by mid of next month.

The 13.5 kilometres long drain starts from block Surjani to 11-J of North Karachi and ends in Lyari, with waste falling into the Lyari River.

Revamping/ rehabilitation of Gujjar nullah has become crucial, the service roads provide access to the nullah for future maintenance needs, the provision of service roads will also restrict future ensuring that in future water way of the nuallah will remain intact. The drain was actually 160-feet wider but its width has reduced to only 30-feet owing to encroachment and land grabbing.

He informed that all connecting sewerage inputs of city areas would be disconnected and a fresh sewerage flow conduit would be constructed by the side of Nullah to serve the purpose. Solar lighting system would also be introduced on both sides of running roads with 18 pedestrian bridges along the Nullah. It would be model project.

We would make arrangement for stopping encroachment on the banks of Nullah, These arrangements can be in the form of green belts and roads on both sides of the banks.

Roads would help improving communication facilities, while green belts would have a great impact on environment, he added.

Gujjar Nullah project office has been closed down due to lack of funds and poor policies in revamping/rehabilitating the structure of Nullah after working for 10 years.

Project was initiated in 2007 on the direction of former Nazim Karachi Mustafa Kamal. Local Government and KMC were the co-partners in the project. During this period millions of rupees have been siphoned without any result.

There are eighteen branch drains bringing both effluent and storm and storm water from various parts of the city into the Gujjar Nullah, the area being serviced by these drains include Liaquatabad, Nizmabad, Khamosh Colony, Mujahid Colony, Federal B area haidri, North Nizmabad, Dualat Nagri Taimuria, Ancholi, Qalandria, Buffer zone, Mohammadi Chowrangi, Khawaja Ajmer Nagri, new Karachi, block III, and new Karachi allah wali office, these 18 drains 7 are constructed as box drains carrying both sewage and rain water.

Published in Daily Times, September 9^th 2017.