KARACHI: “Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and all district municipal corporations should make coordinated efforts to ensure completion of desilting and cleaning of storm water drains before the expected monsoon showers,” said Karachi Commissioner Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui on Thursday. “These civic entities should also prepare plans to combat emergency situations during monsoon rains in Karachi,” he added. Commissioner Karachi, Muhammad Sualeh Ahmad Faruqui while visiting the sites of ongoing desilting and cleaning work of storm water drains in district Korangi directed KMC and all district municipal corporations to be vigilant. He asked the deputy commissioners to coordinate and cooperate in order to ensure that the clean up storm drains in the city was completed early. He said that deputy commissioners should strengthen their coordination with concerned officials of KMC, DMCs, cantonment boards and Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to help them. He added that they were facing hardship in completion of the work. Commissioner was briefed in detail about progress of cleaning work as well as issues creating bottlenecks in undertaking cleaning work efficiently. He visited all water storm drains in district of Korangi including 12,000 Road, 10,000 Raod, 8,000 Road, 5,000 Road and CBM Nullah to personally inspect the ongoing progress of work and issues being faced by concerned staff. He took notice of garbage accumulation in nullah along with roads. Commissioner directed KMC officials to improve monitoring of work and ensure garbage was immediately removed from these sites. He was also told that there were encroachments and structures built on storm water drains due to which drains had been choked on various spots. The Commissioner asked the officials not to permit encroachments in future. During his visit, the Commissioner was informed that 90 percent cleaning work of different nullahs had been completed already. Deputy Commissioner, Korangi Quraitul Ain, Director Local Government, Farooq Siddiqui and officials of KMC and DMC accompanied the Commissioner on his visit. Published in Daily Times, July 6th 2018.