Civic, landowning bodies to file reports on water, sanitation by January 9

The judicial commission probing non-provision of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities to the people of Sindh issued notices on Thursday to 16 civic and landowning agencies of Karachi and Hyderabad, calling in reports on measures taken to improve water and sanitation conditions in their respective jurisdictions.

The commission, which is headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, directed the heads of the civic bodies to file by January 9 concise statements containing necessary details regarding provision of potable water to residents in their respective areas.

They have also been told to include details pertaining to the adverse environmental impact of the deteriorating sanitation conditions.

The notices were issued to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation commissioner, the Defence Housing Authority administrator, Karachi Water and Sewerage Board chairman, Karachi Development Authority chairman, and the chief executive officers of the Clifton, Karachi, Faisal, Malir and Korangi cantonment boards.

Other respondents include the Karachi Port Trust chairman, director general of the Civil Aviation Authority, managing director of the SITE Association, Pakistan Railways, Water and Sanitation Agency Hyderabad, and the Hyderabad Development Authority.

The registrar of the commission, Ghulam Mustafa Channa, told The News that the heads of these bodies have been directed to inform the commission about the measures taken so far to improve water and sanitation conditions, and whether these have borne any positive results.

The reports, he said, will be submitted by January 9 and the commission would conduct its proceedings on a daily basis, with the aim of completing the inquiry within six weeks.

At Tuesday’s hearing, the commission gave a 10-day deadline to the chairman of the Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources to conduct microbiological and chemical tests of water samples – including surface and sub-soil water – from different areas of the province.