KWSB told to ensure uninterrupted water supply to hospitals, schools

The provincial chief secretary on Monday urged the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and other concerned departments to ensure uninterrupted provision of potable water to all healthcare and educational institutions.

The directives were given by the chief secretary, Rizwan Memon, while presiding over a meeting held to review measures adopted for provision of potable water to citizens of Karachi and Hyderabad.

The meeting was held in compliance with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah’s directives. With specific reference to the Sindh Water Commission’s report submitted to the SHC, Memon said a comprehensive response over steps taken by the provincial government regarding the issue must be finalised by and duly vetted by the legal department by October19.

The CS also emphasised on materialising all the schemes and interventions the government has envisaged, through an efficient service delivery system. Further on in the meeting, secretary schools, Iqbal Durrani, claimed that work on supply of safe drinking water to different government schools is being expedited, whereas secretary colleges, Pervez Mehar, shared details of the steps adopted to ensure provision of the essential commodity.

Health department’s secretary, Fazlullah Pechuho, provides details of the services as well as related material available at government hospitals across the province, whereas secretary for industries, Rahim Buksh Soomro, presented a report regarding performance of the combined effluent treatment plants.

Speaking of the environmental protection agency’s laboratories, provincial secretary for environment, Baqaullah Unnar, claimed that laboratories in Karachi and Hyderabad were fully functional; the department's monitoring system was also being reactivated.

Sindh secretary for public health and engineering, Tamizuddin Khero, along with managing director of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and chief engineer KWSB also presented reports regarding their respective organisations.

Development schemes 

Provincial labour, transport, and information minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has directed the Sindh Employees' Social Security Institution (SESSI) and the Sindh Workers Welfare Board (SWWB) to complete their development projects without any further delay.

He issued this directive on Monday in a meeting that reviewed the overall progress of the both institutions.

Held at the SESSI head office, the meeting was attended by labour secretary Abdul Rasheed Solangi, SESSI vice commissioner Shah Muhammad Shah, SWWB secretary Asif Memon and other officials concerned.

The minister ordered immediate completion of 25-bed hospitals and other development works in Ghotki, Sukkur and Nooriabd.  He said the Ghotki commissioner would allocated the land for the purpose.

He also directed for provision of all basic infrastructures for rehabilitation of labour colonies. “New labour colonies would be setup at Ghotki and Ghaghar Phatak for which the respective deputy commissioners may be approached for the allocation of land immediately,” he said.

Besides school and colleges, the workers’ children should also be provided with necessary furniture, machinery and equipments for establishment of laboratories in the educational institutions, he added.