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Mayor asks Sindh govt to start cleaning storm water drains immediately

By Our Correspondent
June 28, 2020

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar has again requested the Sindh government to immediately start cleaning the storm water drains of the city, according to a statement released by the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) on Saturday.

The mayor said that considering the warning of urban flooding by the National Disaster Management Authority and the forecast of heavy rains by the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), there was an immense need to initiate the cleaning work on a war footing.

He said the drains were full of garbage, so it would take many weeks to complete the cleaning of the nullahs. He asked the provincial government to stop neglecting Karachi because it was the economical hub and engine of Pakistan.

Akhtar made these remarks during a meeting on the cleaning of the city’s storm water drains. Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam, Senior Director Municipal Services Nauman Arshad, Director Machinery Mushir Ahmed and others were also present on the occasion.

The mayor said the PMD had forecast 20 per cent more rains, which could cause urban flooding, adding that since the monsoon rain spell in the city was just around the corner, the cleaning of the storm water drains should be started.

He said that on the one hand the provincial government had kept all the revenue generating departments, and on the other, it had asked the KMC to increase its revenue. “How could the KMC increase its revenue when it does not have revenue generating departments?”

He said that 38 big storm water drains of Karachi had not been cleaned since 2018, adding that the drainage system of major arteries and underpasses was linked with the storm water drains.

He added that he had informed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah about the storm water drains under the district municipal corporations (DMCs), but he lamented that no funds had been issued for the DMCs.

Speaking on the provincial budget, Akhtar claimed that the Sindh government had once again demonstrated its enmity with Karachi by decreasing the number of projects for the city.

He said the provincial government had not incorporated even a single project suggested by the KMC. “It’s very unfair that the Pakistan Peoples Party is promoting Wadera Shahi through its numerical strength in the Sindh Assembly.”

The mayor was of the view that the Sindh Local Government Act had lost its spirit because it was amended so many times. He urged making serious efforts to serve the people of the province by keeping biased political views aside.