Murad directs LG to prepare master plan for water supply, sewerage

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the local government and other concerned departments to prepare a master plan for water supply and sewerage system along with treatment facilities and submit the same in his secretariat. 

He also directed them to work out a detailed plan along with deadline and estimated cost for provision of safe drinking water and treatment of drinking and waste water all over Sindh.

This he said while presiding over a high-level meeting held here on Monday at the CM House regarding the directives of the Supreme Court to provide safe drinking water to everyone in the province and stop releasing untreated effluent into the water bodies. 

The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Manzoor Wassan, Dr Sikandar Mendhro, Jam Khan Shoro, Mohammad Ali Malkani, Fayaz Butt, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, Advocate General Zamir Ghumro, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Secretary Health Fazal Pechuho, Secretary Local government, Secretary PHE department, all the commissioners and other concerned officers.

The CM said that the Supreme Court was helping provincial government for provision of safe drinking water and disposal of treated waste water. “It is our prime duty to take necessary measures so that people right from Kashmore to Karachi drink safe water,” he said.

Murad Ali Shah said that there are two different targets for each and every city. The first one is to work out a detailed plan to rehabilitate the existing water supply and drainage system along with installation of treatment plants with deadlines for implementation and estimated cost so that the funds could be made available. ‘This working must be completed within a week and next week I will hold another meeting in which district-wise plans would be discussed and timeline would be set to start and complete the work,” he said. The other assignment is the preparation of water supply and drainage master plan for each and every district. This must be completed within next 15 days, he said.

Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro said that there are three phases of K-IV, the first phase is of 260 MGD which would be completed by 2018, the second phase is also of 260 MGD and it is scheduled to be completed by 2020 and the third phase of 130 MGD would be started in 2020 and would be completed in 2022. He added that work on phase-I is going on in full swing with mobilization of 700 different kind of machinery where 1100 workforce have been deployed. “The work on whole stretch of 122 km is in progress,” he said.

Shoro said that in order to enhance the carrying capacity of KB Feeder the consultant, NESPAK has been hired for Rs35 million. They have prepared PC-I titled `Water requirement for K-IV project’ Improvement of KB Feeder and Keenjhar Lake worth Rs21.508 billion. The PC-I is under scrutiny.

The chief minister said that the existing water distribution system was poor and directed the water board to pursue the World Bank to study the feasibility. “This can be done by replacing the old distribution system with new one by selecting areas,” he said and went on saying for example start from Gulshan-i-Iqbal and a similar exercise be initiated in the area of Water Pump, Malir, North Nazimabad, Nazimabad and then the areas which are not in the net of water board and start installing distribution system there. ‘I want you to prepare a proper work plan and come up to him with financial requirements,” he directed the Water Board MD Hashim Raza.

Murad Ali shah also pointed out defective billing system of water board for bulk purchasers. Replying to a question of the chief minister, the MD Water Board said that out of 5503 consumers, 1692 are being billed on working meters. He added that 3420 notices have been issued to consumers for installing meters and recently 286 new meters have been installed.

The chief minister directed the Water Board to start work on filter plants that include cleaning/desilting of clarifiers, pulsators, installation of chlorinators on their own resources. On this Jam Khan Shoro told the chief minister that Rs25 million have been earmarked for regulator operation and maintenance of filter plants, laboratories have been equipped worth Rs25 million equipment and lab staff have also been imparted training from PCSWR.