SSWMB sets up handwashing facilities at 25 locations of city

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) has established makeshift facilities at 25 different locations of Karachi where people could perform hand washing and maintain their personal hygiene to protect themselves against the coronavirus epidemic in the province.

Sindh Local Government and Information Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah stated this on Friday while talking to media persons as he visited different areas of the city to oversee sanitation arrangements in the backdrop of the rising coronavirus cases.

The SSWMB has planned to establish hygiene facilities at 88 spots in the city to help people maintain personal hygiene, he explained, adding that so far 25 such facilities had been set up and the rest would be established in coming days.

Shah also talked about the guidelines of the World Health Organisation regarding precautionary measures against COVID-19. He appealed to the general public to lend support to the campaign against coronavirus and follow the directions of the Sindh government to successfully fight the disease.

He said the Sindh government had adopted some proactive measures and ordered special safety arrangements to keep people safe against the viral outbreak. The local government minister stated that due observance of the safety precautions would keep people secured against the deadly coronavirus spread.

The Pakistan Army and law enforcement agencies had been providing full assistance to Sindh government to combat the outbreak of COVID-19, Shah said. He added that as part of the proactive arrangements of the Sindh government, a makeshift isolation centre was being established at the Expo Centre Karachi with the support of the Pakistan Army and its preparations were in the final stages.

He said the Sindh government had also established a helpline phone service to provide information about the coronavirus outbreak in the province in a timely manner. He maintained that special ration bags would also be distributed among the daily wage earners and labourers whose livelihood had been endangered due to the closure of markets and businesses as part of the government’s proactive regime against the viral outbreak.

He mentioned that the municipal agencies had been conducting special disinfection spray in the city and the concerned residents of areas where anti-viral fumigation had not been done could lodge their complaints at the local government department’s special helpline established for the purpose.

The lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party were present in their respective constituencies in the province to coordinate the relief arrangements being made by the relevant authorities against the viral outbreak. He also advised the general public to use hand sanitisers as much as they could for their own personal health and safety against the epidemic.

Meanwhile, the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board has completed the de-silting and maintenance work of the Hub Canal to resume the supply of 100 million gallons of water per day (MGD) from the Hub Dam to Karachi.

The KWSB carried out the maintenance and cleanliness work of the Hub Canal on the instructions of the local government minister. According to a statement issued, the de-silting work was carried out on both the 22-kilometre-long portions of the canal under the control of the KWSB and also on its seven-kilometre-long part under the management of the Water & Power Development Authority.

Before the start of the maintenance and de-silting work, the canal was carrying only 50 to 60 MGD water to Karachi. The additional water supply from the Hub Canal would likely be helpful in overcoming water shortage in the city especially in its western parts.