CM calls for drastic measures to solve Sindh’s water woes

Murad reiterates order against dumping industrial waste

into Indus River, major water bodies

Sindh’s chief minister has called for taking drastic measures to resolve the persisting water problems of the province for ensuring potable water for its people.

Syed Murad Ali Shah’s directives came during a meeting at the CM House on Sunday. He said the Supreme Court had given clear guidelines for providing potable water to the people of the province. “As a matter of fact, it is our basic responsibility to do the job honestly.”

He directed Irrigation Secretary Jamal Mustafa Syed and the environment department to put an end to the practice of dumping industrial waste into Indus River or any other river, canal or sea. “It must be treated before being disposed of.”

He ordered devising a comprehensive plan for the purpose and taking all the stakeholders into confidence. “But these things must be done on priority basis.”

He directed the managing directors of the Water & Sanitation Agency and the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board to make their water distribution system safe and efficient.

He also told them to evolve a system of regular inspection to ensure proper implementation of standard operating procedures, such as adding chlorine to water, cleaning storage ponds as well as timely maintenance of sewerage systems to put an end to complaints of potable water mixing with sewage.

He directed the health department to install more incinerators as well as repair or restore the older ones so that hospital waste could also be done away with in accordance with international standards.

He told all the relevant departments that he would inspect the water distribution systems as well as treatment of municipal, industrial and hospital waste on surprise visits.

The meeting was also attended by Industries Minister Manzoor Wassan, Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, CM’s Principal Secretary Naveed Kamran Baloch, LG Secretary Ramzan Awan, Public Health Engineering Secretary Tameezuddin Khero and others.

Lately, Sindh’s water problems have been receiving special attention from all concerned quarters, especially the Supreme Court, which ordered on Friday that the video of its judicial commission’s visit to various potable water supply and sewerage sites in the province be sent to the Sindh Assembly speaker.

The top court also directed the speaker to arrange the video’s viewing in the provincial legislature so that the people’s representatives could see how the government had failed to supply potable water and provide a decent sewerage system to the citizens.

Issuing a detailed judgement on a petition about the provision of potable water and a safe environment to the citizens of the province, a three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Amir Hani Muslim also took exception to the poor performance of the irrigation department in preventing the dumping of waste in water canals.

The court observed that the irrigation secretary had told the judicial commission that he had failed to discharge his duties because of the hindrances created by the local administration.