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CM orders drafting plan for water supply, sewage treatment across Sindh

By our correspondents
December 12, 2017

Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the local government and other relevant departments to prepare a master plan for drinking water supply as well as sewerage system and treatment facilities and to submit it to his secretariat at the earliest.

Presiding over a high-level meeting at the CM House on Monday, Shah also directed the relevant provincial departments to work out a detailed plan, which would include a deadline and the estimated cost of treating and providing safe drinking water and the treatment and disposal of wastewater all over Sindh.

The meeting was held with regard to the Supreme Court’s last week’s directives to the Sindh government to provide potable water to all citizens and stop the release of untreated effluents into the province’s water bodies.

Ministers Manzoor Wassan, Dr Sikandar Mandhro, Jam Khan Shoro, Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon, secretaries of various other departments, commissioners and other senior officials attended the meeting.

“It is our prime duty to take necessary measures so that people right from Kashmore to Karachi drink safe water,” said Shah. The CM said that two targets had been set for each city in Sindh. First, a detailed plan will be worked out to rehabilitate the existing water supply and drainage system and to install treatment plants. This plan would include the estimated costs and set deadlines so that funds can be made available for them on time.

“This working must be completed within a week and next week I’ll hold another meeting in which district-wise plans would be discussed and a timeline would be set to start and complete the work,” he said.

The second target is the preparation of a master plan for water supply and drainage systems for all districts, which should be completed within the next 15 days. Talking about a major water supply project for Karachi city, Minister for Local Government Jam Khan Shoro said that the K-IV Greater Karachi Water Supply Scheme will be built in three phases.

According to the minister, the first phase would be completed by 2018 and provide 260 million gallons per day (MGD) to the city. The second phase expected to provide the same volume of water is scheduled to be completed by 2020, while work on the third phase meant to provide 130 MGD will begin in 2020 and completed in 2022.

Shoro told the meeting that work on the phase one of the mega project is already underway in full swing for which some 700 machines have been mobilised at the site and a 1,100-strong workforce has been deployed. “Work on the whole stretch of 122 kilometres [of the project] is in progress,” he said.

Supply network

The chief minister said that the existing water distribution system in the city was poor and directed the water board to purse the World Bank to study the feasibility of upgrading it.

He explained that this could be done by replacing the old distribution system with a new one in some select areas – such as initiating it in Gulshan-e-Iqbal and following up with similar exercises in water pumping areas in Malir, North Nazimabad, etc.

The CM also directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Managing Director Hashim Raza to start installing distribution systems in city area’s where the board does not have a network yet. “I want you to prepare a proper work plan and come up with financial requirements,” he told the official.

Shah also directed the KWSB to start work on filter plants that include cleaning/de-silting of clarifiers, pulsators, installation of chlorinators on their own resources. On this, Shoro told the CM that Rs25 million have been earmarked for regular operation and maintenance of filter plants, while laboratories had been equipped at a cost of Rs25 million and lab staff have also been given training from Pakistan Council for Research in Water Resources.

The chief minister said that the Sindh government had provided Rs446 million for chlorination and lab equipment, Rs58 million for rehabilitation of existing filtration plants and Rs3,500 million for construction of new filter plants at Gharo, Pipri, Dumlotee, NEK, COD and at Hub.

Wastewater treatment

The chief minister also directed the commissioners of Sukkur and Larkana divisions to prepare a plan for water supply, disposal of treated domestic effluent into canals and installation of filter plants and to come up in the next meeting for discussion and implementation of the plan.