Mayor writes to CM about faulty sewerage system

Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar wrote a letter to Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, showing his concerns over what he called an ineffective sewage system of the city, which could cause a serious emergency situation during the monsoon season.

The letter, dated April 15, 2019, dispatched from Akhtar’s office, a copy of which is available with The News, said that the functions of water and sewage had been under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) engineering department since the inception of the municipal system, “and subsequently transferred to Karachi Development Authority (KDA) in 1957”.

Delving into the history of municipality, the mayor explained that in 1982, the Karachi Water and Sewage Board (KWSB) was constituted as a body with the mayor, administrator, nazim Karachi as its chairman. “Currently, the minister local government has been notified as chairman of KWSB under the Sindh Local Act, 2013.

The letter expressed acute concern over the poor sewerage system in the city, and intimated that all the storm water drains/nullahs were being used as sewerage nullahs, leaving no space for rainwater to flow. The KMC and the district municipal corporations (DMCs), according to the letter, are spending a substantial amount towards the cleaning and de-silting of storm water drains every year.

Shedding some light on the ground realities, Akhtar through the letter conveyed to Shah that there were various manholes without any cap, the sewerage lines were chocked, especially of the densely populated areas, which include Old City area, Liaquatabad, Nazimabad, Korangi, Landhi, Malir, Shershah, Lyari Chakiwara, Kharadar and Methadar.

“Further negligence to address the issue will aggravate the problem during the monsoon,” the letter warned. “In the best interest of citizens of Karachi and to provide healthy environment , during whole year without any interruption, [you are ] requested to kindly issue instructions to KWSB authority for alternative arrangement,” the letter said and further warned that the investment in road construction and repairs made by the Sindh government, the KMC and the DMCs could go down the drain if measures were not taken immediately.