Govt flayed for poor sanitation

LAHORE
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Ejaz Chaudhry has said that recent rain has exposed all the tall claims of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) as majority of the city localities remained submerged by rainwater.
In a statement issued Tuesday, Ejaz Chaudhry said this was the first monsoon rain and the authorities remained failed to drain rainwater. Every year rainwater cause miseries to the people of Lahore and despite being in power for the last 30 years Sharif Brothers could not develop proper sanitation system, he added. He said the accumulated rainwater was causing serious inconvenience for residents of various localities in the city. The upcoming monsoon season would paralyse the lives of the citizens if urgent measures were not taken, he added. He said people did not want to see Khadam-e-Alla wearing long boots and standing in rainwater for photo session instead they wanted immediate drainage of rainwater.
PTI leader Yasmin Rashid said last year the so-called good governance of Shabaz Sharif was swept in monsoon rainwater when he and his administration badly failed to tackle rainwater in Lahore. Last year, it was claimed by the city authorities that all drains of the city had been cleared of silt and solid waste and there was no danger of flood during monsoon season, but we had seen worst rainwater management, she added. She said Shahbaz Sharif kept burning the resources on useless roads and flyovers but did not want to fix years old drainage system. PTI Information Secretary Andleeb Abbas questioned what Lahore Waste Management Company was doing to ensure smooth flow of rainwater in the city during monsoon season.
Sanitary workers: The Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC) has ensured assignment of sanitary workers along with necessary gadgets at city’s major choking points after a heavy rain spells across the city to make sure that environment is clean. Officials said the LWMC brought their compactors in the field for timely and swift lifting of waste containers after red alert. A large amount of waste was transported to dumpsite before the beginning of rainstorm to reduce the risk of rainwater choking due to waste.
Officials said Managing Director Khalid Majeed had also paid visits to several sensitive choking points to review arrangements particularly at walled city, Data Ganj Bakhsh Town, Shalimar Town and Gulberg Town at late night. The MD appreciated duty staff and instructed senior officials to remain alert in the field till the end of heavy rain spells. Visiting GPO and Lakshmi Chowk, MD LWMC assured the LWMC of assistance to WASA for combined operations to guarantee the smooth flow of rainwater at choking points.