Daily Times

KARACHII: Ten major sewerage nullahs (storm water drainage) including 38 other branches in Karachi following torrential rains outburst to their brims and have made life of the people miserable living beside their banks.

This was due to non availability of funds for de-silting these nullahs as Karachi Metropolitan Corporation could not carry out cleaning job.

Local government department (LGD) Sindh had promised to provide funds to civic entity for the purpose but failed fulfill its promise.

Officials of Municipal Services KMC were of the view that it was the sheer responsibility of LGD to provide funds to civic in order it could carry out the de-silting responsibility.

They maintained that in last monsoon season, LGD had given funds of Rs 500 million for the job and KMC under the supervision of an Army Engineering Corp team had carried out the job of cleaning nullahs.

“Due to timely execution of job in last monsoon, there had been no major outburst reported from any of the nullahs in city’, KMC officials asserted. KMC during de-silting and cleaning of storm water drainage of city’s 38 major drains in June and July 2016, under supervision of Engineering Core Army had saved Rs 250 million.

“Good governance and special monitoring by Army engineers paid dividend to the civic entity and the remaining amount had been further spent on reshaping nullahs”, claimed officials.

Waseem Akthar, Mayor Karachi has demanded of Sindh government to provide funds on war footings so that carrying out cleaning of nullahs could be kicked off.

He vowed that anti encroachments drive and removal of settlements on the banks of these nullahs would also be carried out in order to keep them clean from garbage dumping by settlers besides from dumping of industrial waste and debris.

On the other hand, Jam Khan Shoro, Local Government Minister has said that it was not a matter of funds but the civic entities responsible for cleaning nullahs have been not discharging their respective duties.

In last monsoon season, cleaning work was carried out on Lalabad Nullah, Industrial Area Nullah, 1200 Road Nallah, Chakora Nullah, Azeem Pura Nullah, Golden Town 10,000 Road Nullah, Mehran Highway Nullah, Mehmoodabad (Akhtar Colony Nullah PECHS, Wars Shah Nullah, Manzoor Colony Nullah, Songal Nullah, Zehri House Nullah, City Nullah, Soldier Bazaar Nullah and braches and Hijrat Colony, Frere Nullah (Glass Tower), Nehr-e-Khayam Nullah, 7,000 Road, 42,000 Road, 9,000 Road, Gujjar Nullah, Orangi Nullah, Shershah Nullah, Hub River Nullah, Haroonbad Nullah, Mouchko Nullah,Mehran Ct Nulah and Pehalwan Goth Nullah.

Published in Daily Times, September 2^nd 2017.