First phase of campaign to clean up city begins today

The first phase of the federal government-sponsored campaign to clean up Karachi will start on Tuesday (today) after the Ministry of Maritime Affairs receives the final briefing from the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO).

According to the drive’s coordinator, Umer Faran, they have identified five to six big storm water drains and a few smaller ones that fall inside the big ones. Faran said that after receiving the FWO’s final briefing on Monday night, their machineries will properly go inside the drains to get them cleaned up. “We needed to do proper homework before going in to work.”

The execution of the campaign will be conducted in two phases, and the first phase has two stages: in the first one, the drains will be cleaned; and in the second one, garbage will be cleared from the drains and from the towns surrounding them.

According to a media statement issued by the Ministry of Maritime Affairs, both these tasks will be carried out simultaneously. In the second phase, which was initially not a part of the campaign, a permanent solution of fencing, lining, laws, recycling, etc will be executed.

“A survey is being conducted that was initiated on Sunday,” read the statement. It said that on Tuesday the teams will reach the drains for cleaning them up. Since this major task cannot be handled arbitrarily and since going to these sites without a plan will be futile, proper homework has been ensured before the field work.

The teams will reach five major drains — Gujjar Nala, Korangi Nala, Orangi Nala, Mehmoodabad Nala and City Railway Station Nala — along with six minor ones —Petrol Pump Nala, Mujahid Colony Nala, Nehr-e-Khayyam Nala, Azam Basti Nala, Malir City Nala and Peerabad Nala.

These drains, according to the statement, are going to be cleaned up on a priority basis. The prevention of garbage disposal, the designation of garbage sites and the disposal of solid waste will continue simultaneously.

The FWO is the execution partner in this project. On Monday the staff of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) and volunteers began garbage disposal and collection in Keamari. According to Faran, various garbage transfer stations were cleaned in District South’s Boat Basin area and inside Keamari.

He said that a huge ground behind the KPT School had been turned into a garbage dumping point. “There were mountains of garbage in that ground that the teams have already started to clear. Dumpers and loaders are on site.”

Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi announced account No. 0786-791816303 and account title ‘FWO-Clean Karachi’ to make donations for the clean-up drive. This service will be available at more than 1,600 branches of the Habib Bank Limited.

Speaking to the media after a visit to Keamari, Zaidi said that garbage was being collected in Keamari, Boat Basin, Bhittaiabad and Future Colony. “Work on Nehr-e-Khayyam has also been initiated,” he said, adding that the cleaning process of the storm water drains will start today.