WSSP says 155.4 km drains cleared ahead of monsoon rains

PESHAWAR: Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) has cleaned 155.4 kilometre drains ahead of the monsoon rains during a special campaign.

The campaign was launched in May during which 75.74-kilometer drains were cleaned while 69.4 in the month of June. Besides, 616.29 km primary and secondary drains were cleared during the last six months, said WSSP spokesperson, Hassan Ali.

The official said that WSSP cleared 60 to 70 km drains every month on average. He added that encroachments on drains impeded rainwater flow due to which WSSP always keeps its staff on high alert to prevent inundation of various areas.

He added that teams had already been constituted and assigned spots where inundation was feared to happen as a result of rains.

The official urged the masses to avoid throwing waste in drains that cause blockage.

The WSSP spokesman believed that the encroachment on 29 kilometres main sewerage line - Shahi Katha - could cause problems for the citizens in case of heavy rains.

Former Town-I nazim Zahid Nadeem said that Shahi Katha that passes through the interior city, Peepal Mandi, Mochi Larra and Sabzi Mandi market had been encroached in the last 50 to 60 years.

He said the shops built on the Shahi Katha over a period of time could not be removed easily, saying the Town-1 Administration had tried that in the past but the shopkeepers moved court and won relief.

The former nazim added that removing 1,200 shops and removing encroachments would mean leaving 1,200 families without any sources of earning.

He said the KP government needed to sit with the traders to find a solution to the problem. “The government should construct markets for these shopkeepers in other feasible business centres to provide them alternative places to earn a living.

Zahid Nadeem said that the WSSP was doing a commendable job as no major problem was reported in the interior city after the sanitation company started work with the collaboration of the TMA.