Dumpers, excavators start cleaning up drains

The first phase of the federal government-sponsored campaign to clean up Karachi turned into its operational mode on Tuesday after dumpers and excavators started cleaning up storm water drains in all six districts of the city.

Many stakeholders — such as the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, MPAs, MNAs, elected representatives of the local government, the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) and the National Logistics Cell — are helping in this drive.

Around seven units of the FWO have been operational in different parts of the city, while five of them have been deployed for this campaign. The FWO has identified five major drains — Gujjar Nala, Korangi Nala, Orangi Nala, Mehmoodabad Nala and City Railway Station Nala — and six minor ones — Petrol Pump Nala, Mujahid Colony Nala, Nehr-e-Khayyam Nala, Azam Basti Nala, Malir City Nala and Peerabad Nala. The campaign started in District South’s two main storm water drains: Nehr-e-Khayyam Nala and City Railway Station Nala.

An official of the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) told The News that City Railway Station Nala flows from behind the Light House all the way to MA Jinnah Road, New Chali, Uni Plaza towards the Sindh Madressatul Islam University — which is a covered portion of the drain — and goes towards the Dry Port Container Terminal before crossing the entrance of the Pakistan Railways and then reaches Maulvi Tameezuddin Road, from where it goes into the sea.

When asked if the FWO will clear the encroachments in the way of these complicated drains, the KPT official responded that the Pakistan Army will not carry out an anti-encroachment operation.

“If there are some serious hurdles in the way, the Rangers and the police will remove them,” said the official, adding that it would take at least two-and-a-half to three months to clean up all these drains.

Since there are chances of intense rainfall before Eidul Azha, the filth taken out from the drains can sweep back inside them, explained the official. He said they will have to wait at least three days for the excavated filth and garbage to dry up before transferring them to the dumping sites.

As for the portions of the drains that are under the roads and small bridges, the official said they will use sweepers who will go inside the drains to bring out the filth. When asked if the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board and the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board — which operate under the provincial government — are on board, the official said they are showing reluctance and unwillingly helping them out.

The FWO also started its clean-up operation in District Korangi’s Korangi Nala from Future Morr. Usama Farid, the FWO’s general manager operations for the district, said that the entire district is in a dilapidated condition, which is why they started work from Future Morr.

He said the drain’s clean-up work has been divided in three phases: in the first phase they will clean up the 5km portion from Future Morr all the way to Indus Chowrangi, in the second phase the drain will be cleaned up from Indus Chowrangi to Chamra Chowrangi and in the third phase it will be cleaned up from Chamra Chowrangi to KDA Chowrangi. “The entire area from Future Morr to KDA Chowrangi is 14km.”

In District Central the 14km and 200-feet-wide Gujjar Nala — the city’s largest, widest and deadliest natural drain starting from North Karachi’s Sector 11-J — is being taken over by the FWO.

Currently, some 30,000 houses have choked up the drain’s 40-50 feet. Every year several cases of drowning occur in the drain and bodies are hardly recovered. The layers of filth in certain portions are so thick that children recklessly play over them.

A unique show of solidarity was witnessed in the district, where the Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s (MQM) elected district chairman Rehan Hashmi and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s elected MNA from the MQM’s stronghold NA-245 Aslam Khan were on a visit together. Both leaders have been extremely critical of each other in the past.

The FWO, according to Hashmi, is carrying out the clean-up work at Shafiq Morr, UP Morr, the Nala Stop and the Orangi Stop. Khan said the Centre is doing whatever it can for the city. “It is the failure of the Sindh government that the army has taken over the clean-up work with the help of the FWO.”

In District West, Orangi Nala is being cleaned up at the Metro Cinema site, while in District East, Mehmoodabad Nala near Qayyumabad Chowrangi is being cleaned up.