Murad orders completion of on-going water, sewerage, public transport projects

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that water and public transport projects in progress in the city were given top priority so that they could be completed in the public interest.

This he said on Tuesday while presiding over a meeting to review on-going water supply and public transport projects in the city here at the CM House. The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, Principal Secretary to CM Sohail Rajput, Commissioner Karachi/PD Green Line poject Sauleh Farooqi, Director Green Line Zubair Channa, Secretary Transport Hafeez Umrani, MD Water Board Khalid Shaikh, PD K-IV Asad Zamin and others.

Water & Sanitation:

The chief minister said that over all water demand of the city based on 54 Gallon per capita per day (GPCD) comes to 918 MGD. There huge shortfall to meet the requirement. The MD water board Khalid Shaikh told the chief minister that due to minimal rains at Hub source water supply has reduced from 100 MGD to 12 MGD to the city.

The MD KWSB said that gross supply of water to Karachi is 493 and losses incurred during transmission have been gauged at 148 MGD, therefore net supply stands at 345 leaving a gap of 573 MGD against the demand of 918 MGD.

The meeting was told that SITE demands 80 MGD against which they are being supplied six MGD, FB Area industrial area demands 20 MGD and receive three MGD, Landhi Korangi demand 50 MGD and they receive 15, Super Highway SITE demands 50 MGD and get one MGD. In this way the water demand of industrial areas is 200 MGD and they are getting 25 MGD leaving a shortfall of 175 MGD.

The chief minister said that he was equally focusing the issues of domestic water supply and industrial requirement. This is why, he said he has decided to install a desalination plant. He added that he was providing free of cost tankers to the water-starved areas of the city through deputy commissioners.

Murad Ali Shah directed the MD water board to complete four important on-going water supply projects. They include 60 MGD recycling, 260 MGD K-IV, 65 MGD Bulk Schemes and 100 MGD pump house schemes. The MD water board said that they would be completed in December 2020 and 100 MGD pump House schemes of Rs1.43 million would become operational by March 2019.

The Chief Minister said that S-III project includes rehabilitation of existing Treatment Plant I&III of 100 MGD and 180 MGD respectively and construction of new Treatment Plant, STP-IV of 180 MGD at Korangi and 100 MGD at KPT STP-V. These projects would have the facility to treat 608 MGD. The MD water board told the chief minister that the cost of S-III was Rs36.12 billion and progress was 23 percent overall and 26 percent in civil work. The chief minister directed him to expedite these works and also asked the chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem to keep him giving progress time to time.

Chairman P&D Mr Waseem told the chief minister that Combined Effluent Treatment Plants was a Rs11.8 billion projects in which provincial government would bear 67 percent cost while the federal government would provide 33 percent cost of the project. It would clean 94 MGD of industrial sewerage in a cost effective and environmentally friendly manner. The meeting was told that project was being designed by the consultant.

Green Line: PD BRT Green Line project Sauleh Farooqui briefing the chief minister said that from Surjani to Municipal Park 80 percent work has been completed. He added that the cost of the project was Rs17.85 billion.

The exclusive corridor upto Guru Mandir is 21 km and has been completed and Abdul Sattar Edhi interchange which is also one km has also been done. The construction work of 21 BRT stations is at final stage and would be completed by the end of December 2018.

Mr Farooqi told the chief minister that work of bus depot at Surjani for parking, washing, refueling and maintenance yard has been completed by 60 percent. Work on Operation Command and Control Building has been completed but its finishing work is at final stage.

It may be noted that the BRT Green Line project with intersections and turning come to 24 km long in which 12.7 kms are elevated, 10.9km at grade, 422 meters underground and it has 25 stations.

Mr Dauleh Farooqi said that the phase-II common coordidor from Gurru Mandir upto Muncipal Park has 2.5 km length with two underpasses at M.A Jinnah Road. He added that the state of art underground bus terminal with parking facility and commercial Mezzanine floor was being constructed. So far 20 percent work has been made.

The chief minister said that the common corridor from Numaish upto Municipal Park dsigned by technical team of Asian development Bank and World Bank being constructed for all upcoming BRTS service. “I know this designing work took some time but now it must be expedited,” he said and added he was trying to start the project as soon as possible.