Ninety per cent of the city’s population does not have access to clean drinking water and are running from pillar to post to acquire it, said Mayor Karachi Waseem Akhtar on Wednesday.
The observation was voiced by Akhtar during inauguration of a road in Orangi Town which has been constructed at a cost of Rs23 million; the project was initiated by the area’s local government representatives.
Besides performing the inauguration, the mayor also visited various areas of Orangi Town including the Mohajir Chowk, Ghaziabad, Gulshan-e-Zia and Christian Colony. Furthermore, Akhtar lamented that Karachi’s sewerage system has been destroyed, roads in dilapidated conditions, while heaps of garbage can be seen dumped in every area of the city. However, he claimed that efforts are underway to lift the garbage.
He said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation was not allowed to execute the project, adding that by taking on small projects the civic administration will bring about a visible change in Karachi.
Calling on the federal government, he said the Centre needs to give up the ad hoc package allocation to Karachi; it needs to consider a package that can provide long-term solutions to the city’s problems.
Commenting on the disputed provisional census results of Karachi, the mayor said the action would prove detrimental for both the city as well as the country. He said that Karachi is home to at least 30 million people who make use of the city’s facilities, earn a living through its resources and it is our duty to solve the metropolis’ increasing problems.