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Thursday March 28, 2024

CM orders drafting of master plan for water supply, sewerage treatment in Sindh

By our correspondents
December 12, 2017

KARACHI: 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.