CM Murad Ali Shah orders remodelling 555 storm water drains in city

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has directed the provincial local government department to work out a detailed plan for cleanliness of remaining 555 storm water drains of Karachi, including 41 under the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation’s (KMC) jurisdiction and 514 under the District Municipal Corporations (DMC), on the same model of rehabilitation that was adopted for the Mehmoodabad and other drains.

“The cleanliness model of Mehmoodabad and Gujjar drains was a complete package under which not only encroachments along the drains were removed but the affected people have been compensated and roads are being constructed along the embankments of the nullahs,” he said as he presided over a meeting of the Provincial Coordination and Implementation Committee (PCIC) at the CM House on Friday.

The meeting was told that the anti-encroachment drive along the Mehmoodabad Nullah was started on January 4, 2021 and 7.5 kilometres along both sides of the drain have been cleared. Of the 56 compensation cheques to be distributed among the people displaced due to anti-encroachment drive, 49 had been distributed, it was said.

Karachi Commissioner Naveed Shaikh briefed the meeting on the drains of Karachi and said that apart from major nullahs, the DMCs had control of 514 drains in the city and cleanliness work was to be initiated in 298 of them.

He informed the meeting that the cleanliness work would cost around Rs430 million, of which Rs119 million would be spend by the DMCs from their own resources and the remaining amount of Rs316 million would have to be funded.

The CM directed Local Government Minister Nasir Shah to submit a document to him in this regard so that the required finances could be approved and released. NED University Vice Chancellor Dr Sarosh Lodhi told the meeting that the total drainage network of 39 drains in Karachi spread over 229.12 kilometres in length.

He added that he had already submitted a detailed survey report of the Manzoor Colony drain, Gujjar main drain, Orangi main drain, Gujjar drain’s tributaries and Manzoor Colony drain’s tributaries and the survey report of 25 drains was being prepared.

He also put forward suggestions for improving drainage from the Hub, Eassa Nagri, Madina Colony, Mawach Goth and other drains. The CM directed the local government department to work out a detailed plan for restructuring of the nullahs as suggested by the vice chancellor.