Daily Times

KARACHI: Officials of Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB) revealed that the first ever sewerage water treatment plant (TP-III) in Mauripur will start functioning from July 25, 2018, after 16 years of revamping.

KWSB also confirmed this report to Water Commission (WC) in compliance, officials added.

According to the officials, the working capacity of the TP-III has been enhanced by 22 million gallon of sewerage water treatment per day (MGD) to 77 MGD of sewerage water.

The KWSB officials also promised that Haroonabad TP-I will be functional by end December 2018 with a capacity of 35 MGD. The treatment capacity of this plant would be increased to 100 MGD in four different phases within a year.

According to the officials, Mauripur (TP-III) treatment plant second phase is likely to become functional by the end of June 2019. The officials added that the Plant in remaining two phases will become fully functional by December 2019.

This plant was set up in 1998 with financial assistance from the World Bank (WB) but it remained dysfunctional due to poor maintenance. Similarly Haroonabad plant was also neglected and remained closed for 12 years .

Noor Muhammad, project director of TP-III said that the project became functional again due to the directions of the WC.

Praising Chairman Justice (retd) Ameer Hani Muslim, Noor Muhammad said that the plant was going to be functional due to his personal efforts.

Official from the KWSB said that the required machinery and equipment had been imported from Germany and installation of motors, terminals, scanning devices and other allied machinery was underway.

The officials said that culverts system, repair of allied system and necessary construction of primary and secondary system to this effect was also being undertaken around the clock.

The officials explained that after the treatment process, treated water would be stored in purpose built open vast yards. They added that this water could be supplied to industrial areas.

According to the KWSB officials, the treated water would be stored in facultative lagoons and anaerobic lagoons and later would be supplied to SDV for anaerobic sludge.

They stated that the treated water would be supplied to areas on demand.

Irshad Hussain, constructor of the projects while talking to Daily Times said that he was confident that this project would be completed in time.

“We are maintaining standard of the project on strict directive of Water Commission and KWSB,” remarked Hussain. Water treatment engineers of KWSB said that TP-I had a capacity to treat 120 MGD of sewerage water while TP-III will treat 180 MGD.

According to sources, the total cost incurred on civil work, power generation plant, and import of machinery for TP III was Rs 11 billion. The cost was then shared by federal and Sindh government on 50-50 percent basis.

In addition, Chief Secretary, Rizwan Memon and Muhammad Waseem from Planning and Development (P&D) had already given undertaking to WC on behalf of contractor that government was ready to finance TP-I and TP-III.

Meanwhile, TP-IV Korangi Creek project has yet to be started due to dispute of land between Sindh Board of Revenue and Sindh government.

The consultant on this project has already been appointed.

KWSB officials stated that TP-IV will also treat water of TP-II after its completion in two years period subject to resolution of land and other administrative disputes of two parties.

TP-I and TP-II became non functional in 2006 due to corrupt practices.

Meanwhile Water Commission has advised Karachi Port Trust (KPT) to fund Mai Kolachi treatment plant-TP-V.

The Commission directed chairman of KPT and chief secretary of Sindh to formulate a plan to identify the land for the installation of TP-V in shortest period of time.

According to an official from KPT, the KPT will bear expenses of hiring consultant, land acquisition, mangroves maintaining protection on 150 acres of land and other allied expenditures of the project.

The KPT has already informed Commission that the entity has no intention to utilise that area for any purpose other than treatment plant and the associated infrastructure would be inclusive of mangroves, which would be there for breading shrimps.

KPT official said that once land dispute is settled, project would be completed within two years time.

KPT was intending to supply treated water to nearby industrial units and parks for greenery.

Qamar Qureshi, an environmentalist from the President Pakistan Economic Forum (PPPEF) said that the maintenance of mangroves would have a healthy effect on marine life and it would minimise damage caused by the discharge of 460 MGD untreated water into Arabian Sea,

Coordinator Asif Hyder Shah of Sindh government would interact with KPT officials to devise a joint formula after demarcation of land immediately after Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.

The officials of KWSB said that the contractor was awarded both components of S-III project in October 23, 2014 for rehabilitation and construction of new plants.

Published in Daily Times, June 14^th 2018.