KARACHI: The construction work has been initiated at Gujjar and Mehmoodabad nullahs to be completed at a cost of Rs1,780 million, officials of the Karachi Development Authority said on Wednesday. The development comes at a time when the Water Commission has directed Waseem Akhtar, the city mayor, and other officials to ensure shifting of civic infrastructure of different civic bodies including the two newly planned nullahs away from residential areas. The chief secretary was also directed to inspect all drains in the city for sound execution of all development schemes pertaining to sanitation sector. The matter will be taken up again by the Water Commission on April 16, 2018, officials said. Meanwhile the Local Government Department (LGD) has handed over 23-kilometre long Gujjar Nullah project of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (worth Rs 890 million) to Karachi Development Authority, officials said. Due to non-availability of funds and failure in appointment of consultants, the LGD has finally decided to hand over the project to KDA, they said. Gujjar Nullah project office had been closed down due to lack of funds and poor policies in revamping/rehabilitating structure of nullah after work remained pending for 10 years. The project was initiated in 2007 on directions of former city nazim, Mustafa Kamal. LGD and KMC were co-partners in the project. During that period millions of rupees were spent without any result. Chief Engineer KDA, Ram Chand, said that work on both projects had now been started. Meanwhile, KDA has issued work order for building Gujjar and Mahmoodabad nullahs to Kamran and Company. The company will work on the concrete structure, roads construction, sideways lighting system, pedestrian sideways and will develop a green belt at a cost of Rs 890 million. The cost of Mehmoodabad Nullah also stands Rs 890 million. The provincial government has released Rs 300 million for Gujjar Nullah, KDA official said. The estimated cost of both projects will come to around Rs2 billion and these projects will likely to be completed by December 2018. The 13.5 kilometres long drain starts from block Surjani to 11-J of North Karachi and ends in Lyari, with waste falling into Lyari River. Revamping/rehabilitation of Gujjar Nullah is crucial, service roads will provide access to nullah for future maintenance needs, provision of service roads will also restrict encroachments besides ensuring flow of nullah that will remain intact. The drain was actually 160-feet wide but its width has now been reduced to only 30-feet owing to encroachments and land grabbing. It will have 18-feet wide roads on both sides, the width of the roads and the drain combined will be 45 feet. The officials said all connecting sewerage infrastructure of the city would be disconnected and a fresh sewerage flow conduit would be constructed for the nullah. A solar lighting system would also be introduced on both sides of running roads with 18 pedestrian bridges along nullah. It would be a model project. “We would make arrangement for stopping encroachment on banks of the drain. The arrangement can be in the form of green belts and roads on both sides of the bank,” they added. Roads would help improve communication facilities, while green belts would have a great impact on environment, they maintained. There are 18 branch drains bringing both effluent and storm water from various parts of the city into Gujjar Nullah, the areas being served by these drains include Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Khamosh Colony, Mujahid Colony, Federal B Area, Hydri, North Nazimabad, Dualat Nagri Taimuria, Ancholi, Qalandria, Buffer zone, Muhammadi Chowrangi, New Karachi block III and new Karachi Allah Wala Chowk. Out of these 18 drains, seven would be constructed as box drains that carry both sewage and rain water. Published in Daily Times, April 12th 2018.