Daily Times

KARACHI: The Supreme Court directed the Sindh chief secretary to set up a committee to make all filter and treatment plants fully operational and ensure chlorination of water, setting up of computerized laboratories and deployment of trained staff to test the quality of water.

The apex court asked the chief secretary to constitute a committee comprising the senior officers of the government and water boards and water quality experts to oversee the whole work.

The court instructed the proposed committee to come up with a report showing how much funds would be spent for making the plants operational and specify the time frame for completing the task.

A three-member bench comprising Justice Amir Hani Muslim, Qazi Faez Isa and Fisal Arab was hearing the petition against the provincial authorities for failing to deliver potable water supply, sewerage and solid waste services across the province.

The bench directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board’s managing director to immediately make operational Shershah and Mauripur sewage treatment plants and take steps to rehabilitate another plant whose land was stated to have been encroached upon.

Justice Hani was critical of the authorities for failing to make the treatment plants operational, observing it was a criminal negligence that toxic water was being drained into sea without treatment.

The court barred the government from releasing more funds to private company North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC) over it’s below the par delivery of potable water and cleanliness services in the different districts of the provinces.

At the outset, Advocate General Zameer Ghumro presented a compliance report on the condition of filter and treatment plants, saying that the plants were not fully functional but theses plants are in a condition to be restored to make them fully functional.

A water quality expert, who was among the committee members inspecting the plants, told the judges that the filter plants were operational, but there were devoid of chlorine, skilled staff and maintenance.

Petitioner Shahab Usto suggested that the water purification system should be computerized to ensure provision of drinkable water to the public in more effective manner.

There was dearth of qualified and skilled staff and the already present staff was not dedicated to their job, complained the KWSB’s chief engineer, adding that those appointed in the water board and its laboratories lacked all the required credentials.

Justice Qazi remarked, “We were taken aback by the report of the commission of inquiry into the water and sanitation woes across the province. The water utility is in deep slumber while the city whose population is over 20 million depended on it.”

“Had the board awaken even after the apex court set up the commission, there would have been substantial improvement,” he added.

Sindh chief secretary Rizwan Memon assured the court that the government would release funds to the water board required for making all the plants operational.

The bench came down hard on the NSUSC’s managing director for the abysmal situation of sanitation and the company’s failure to provide to potable water in Sukkur, Larkana, Rohri, Shikarpur and other districts.

“These cities were sorry sight because of you”, Justice Hani said while pointing towards the MD. The private company was given million dollars to do the job of local government department, he said.

Memon told the judges that the amount released to the company is audited. To which, Justice Hani censured him for carrying out the audit of the grants, not the company’s performance.

AG Sindh told the court that the agreements with the NSUSC for Larkana and Shikarpur districts were scrapped due to its unsatisfactory performance.

Earlier on Monday, the commission of inquiry into the government’s failure to provide safe drinking water and sanitation facilities across the province had submitted its report to the bench.