Mayor warns CM ‘ineffective SSWMB mechanism’ may cause mayhem in monsoon

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar in a letter has informed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah about the ineffective collection and disposal mechanism of the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), which, he says, can cause any untoward incident in the city in the upcoming monsoon, according to a press statement issued by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

The board was created through an act passed by the Sindh Assembly to clean garbage from the city and to establish an integrated solid waste management system in all the cities of the province, he wrote in the letter, a copy of which is also available with The News.

“The SSWMB is responsible for the collection and disposal of solid/liquid waste that includes municipal solid waste, industrial solid waste and medical/ hospital waste in the entire province of Sindh,” the letter reads and adds that the on the directives of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has initiated the task of cleaning and desilting major and minor drains, including minor civil works at various nullahs located in the limits of Karachi, during the current financial year.

The mayor said funds were allocated by the Sindh government as “grant-in-aid” for these works. Unfortunately, due the absence of an appropriate mechanism, thanks to officials at the SSWMB, not all garbage could be lifted, he added.

About 30 percent of garbage reached the designated landfill sites, he noted. The storm water drains/nullahs being cleaned and desilted by the KMC are reportedly filled with garbage due to continuous throwing or dumping of trash in them. “This will create havoc during the upcoming rain,” says the letter.

In the best interest of a smooth flow of water and to save the city from any untoward incidents in the upcoming rainfalls, the mayor wrote that instructions should be given to the SSWMB to ensure the removal of garbage in a timely manner and also discourage the dumping of garbage in nullahs.