President for comprehensive plan to prevent urban flooding in Karachi

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday directed the Sindh government to prioritize a comprehensive plan to prevent urban flooding in Karachi by adopting a sustainable, long-term strategy based on international best practices for managing sewage and stormwater.

The President expressed these views while chairing a meeting on saving Karachi from urban flooding and environmental degradation and promoting sustainable water resource development, at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

The President was given a comprehensive presentation by international water and sewage management experts and proposed various solutions to address the challenges of urban flooding and sewage in Karachi on the pattern of the tunnel sewer systems of Washington DC, the London Super Sewer Project, and the Deep Tunnel Sewerage System of Singapore.

Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah, Adjutant General Lt General Muhammad Asim Malik, Minister for Local Government Department of Sindh, Saeed Ghani, Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Chief Secretary Sindh, Syed Asif Hyder Shah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation, Syed Salahuddin, Country Head Herrenknetch Pakistan, Col (r) Danyal Naveed Ahmed, senior government officials, and local and international water management experts attended the meeting.

During the briefing, it was proposed that a network of small and large sewer tunnels under existing roads in high-flood zones of Karachi may be developed. It was highlighted that underground tunnelling using modern techniques would not disturb the public, city traffic and land ownership.

The experts informed that Karachi generated almost 450 million gallons per day (MGD) of sewage. They added that sewage and stormwater were collected in small and large open drains which fell into the Lyari and Malir rivers and were released untreated into the sea, polluting the marine ecosystem.

It was further informed that the existing network of drains had limited capacity and absorbed around 50% of the rainwater under normal circumstances. The meeting was told that excess water was not absorbed by the system, causing urban flooding.

Speaking on the occasion, the President underlined the need for completing the feasibility study to control flooding in Karachi through tunnelling options within three months. He stated that Karachi and its coastal areas need to be made clean and brought at par with other Metropolitan cities of the world.

He said that since the proposed project would have significant environmental impacts, therefore, Government of Sindh should approach international donors to seek environmental financing for the project.

He said that the construction of the wastewater treatment system would also help supply treated water to Balochistan for agriculture, besides promoting the fisheries sector.

The President remarked that the city of Hyderabad was also facing urban flooding and sewage issues that also needed to be addressed on priority.