KARACHI: The recent monsoon rains in Karachi has exposed the construction work on seventeen kilometers long sewage water conduit on Lyari River bed under Sewerage-III (S-III) project worth Rs 36.11 billion. One of the eight segments of the project from Orangi Nullah to Gul Bahar has been washed away in rainwater while surroundings of remaining seven conduits have been converted into water pools. Eight private contractors have been busy on lying down the concrete conduits. Imtiaz Magsi, Project Director S-III on direction of Rizwan Memon, Chief Secretary Sindh has instructed the concerned contractors to take the responsibility of damage and restart fresh construction of the conduits on the washed away sites. Magsi has reiterated government stance that all civil work on conduits would be ensured in safe and sound manner and the damages to them at different spots on sewage channel would be the responsibility of concerned building contractors. The contractor of sewage water line near Love LaneBridge on Manghopir Road has also been asked to load up the trench, created after recent rains. He informed that a survey report has been prepared on the damages and in the light of this report, concerned conduit contractors would be asked to rebuild the damaged portions falling within their respective contract agreements. After completion of eight segments of conduits, they would be linked with Sewerage Treatment Plant (STP-I), Haroonbad and STP-III Mauripur. It is pertinent to mention here that STP-I and STP-III have remained non-functional since the last 10 and 17 years respectively. The non functionality of these sewerage treatment plant projects has been attributed to the stoppage of funds from federal and Sindh governments. However federal government has released Rs 1.5 billion funds to Sindh government in July 2017. The Sindh Finance Department would release this fund in four quarters to concerned contractors. Rizwam Memon has assured concerned contractors that Sindh government through its resources would lessen their outstanding dues of Rs 2.5 billion by paying them Rs 1.5 billion in an early date. STP-I would cost about Rs 4 billion while cost of STP-III comes to Rs 7 billion. In the recent past during a meeting under the Chief Secretary, it had been decided in principle that old STPs over 10 years of age with 151 Million Gallon per Day (MGD) of sewerage treatment would not be entertained. The meeting has supported the erection of new STPs at the same sites with 100 MGD capacity. However the contractors have assured the meeting that fresh concrete construction with new provision of machinery on the old sites with additional funds could be started. Magsi told the meeting that old ones could be rehabilitated after the completion of TP-I and TP-III, on which CS acceded the proposal. Due to Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s negligent attitude, executive engineers and technical staff on both the sites has been reluctant to spend funds to run old horses with new reins. Published in Daily Times, July 14th , 2017.