DMCs, not SSWMB, be given funds to dispose of garbage, says mayor

A fumigation campaign in all districts of Karachi is now in its full swing, said Mayor Wasim Akhtar on Saturday.

According to a press statement from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), during the fumigation campaign 40 spray vehicles will be used. Chemicals used in this campaign have already been purchased, some of them arranged through donations. More fumigation chemicals would be purchased if needed.

Fruitful results of the cleanliness drive in District Korangi can already be seen. This drive in the district was sponsored by Bahria Town, which removed 7,500 tons of garbage in four days.

“I have no time to indulge in unnecessary debates,” Akhtar said when asked about wall-chalking that emerged against him in the city recently. “Those who are doing wall-chalking against me, I would ask them to solve the city’s problems collectively,” he said.

Akhtar was taking to media after inspecting the cleaning works in the Korangi district and after inaugurating the fumigation drive on Saturday.

Korangi District Municipal Corporation (DMC) chairman Nayyar Raza and other elected representatives were also present with the mayor.

Akhtar said that spray work would continue till the elimination of mosquitoes and flies, which sprang up after recent rainfalls in the city. As for the garbage, he said that they were trying to get rid of that, but it was the sewerage system that had completely collapsed and needed immediate attention.

He said that he raised these issues in a meeting with Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. The CM, according to the mayor, showed seriousness and assured him that sewerage issues would be resolved. He also extended his support to Shah in the meeting. Akhtar demanded funds from Shah and said that the DMCs should get funds, not the Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), to remove garbage from the city.