A filthy Karachi may have to face an environmental emergency: Nasir

Sindh’s local government minister has said that all the relevant stakeholders should take measures on a war footing to clear the municipal waste in Karachi, otherwise the situation indicates that the city is heading straight towards an environmental emergency.

Addressing a news conference on Tuesday, LG Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah expressed his resolve that efforts of all the relevant stakeholders and agencies will be combined to clear municipal garbage in the city.

Shah said the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC), the district municipal corporations (DMCs) and the cantonment boards will be taken on board by the provincial government in implementing its composite, concrete and well-coordinated strategy to clear municipal waste in the city.

Replying to a question, he expressed gratitude to Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi for conducting a clean-up campaign in Karachi, saying that Zaidi’s intentions were good and he had fulfilled his obligations.

The provincial minister said that an audit will be conducted of the funds available to the KMC, the DMCs and the union committees. “Or rather, an audit of all the government-run institutions, including the LG department, should take place to determine where the public funds are being spent.”

He said that the water-starved areas of the city will be provided with the essential commodity for household use through the water tanker service, adding that special instructions have been issued in this regard.

Shah disclosed on the occasion that despite being a combined project of both the federal and Sindh administrations, the K-IV Greater Karachi Bulk Water Supply Scheme alone cannot fulfil the water requirements of the city.

He said that a composite strategy is being implemented for the purpose, as the options of treating wastewater (to use it for industrial and horticultural purposes) and desalinating seawater will be implemented to meet the water demand of Karachi.

“Black sheep do exist in our [LG] department like other departments and they have been trying to create problems intentionally, but we know how to deal with such elements.” To another query, he said the provincial government has taken notice of the

roads of the city falling into disrepair due to the substandard quality of their construction.

KMC begins drainage

Following the orders of Mayor Wasim Akhtar, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has started filling potholes and repairing roads throughout the city, states a press release of the municipal body.

The KMC statement said drainage is also being carried out in different parts of the city, adding that the municipal staff worked at Sharea Faisal, Korangi 12000 Road and University Road and in front of the Urdu University to drain those areas.

In Union Committee No. 28 a sewerage line was replaced on an emergency basis, while the mayor directed the officials concerned to work on sewerage issues in the areas where the locals are facing acute problems, saying that such efforts should be made on a priority basis.

The press release stated that the KMC is repairing sewerage lines from its own resources, as most of the roads of the city are left with potholes after the recent rains that have also been affecting the flow of traffic.