Judicial commission seeks reports on solid waste management

DHA, cantonment board officers seek more time to submit reports on building plans

KARACHI: The judicial commission issued on Wednesday notices to the local government department's secretary, the Karachi commissioner, the district council's chief officer and all the deputy commissioners to file reports regarding management of solid waste.

Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro, the head of the commission established in compliance of the Supreme Court's orders to probe into the allegations of water non-supply and deteriorating sanitation conditions in Sindh, summoned the secretary and the elected representatives on Thursday (today).

A day earlier, the commission had summoned the heads of all the cantonment boards, the Defence Housing Authority (DHA), the Karachi commissioner and others to explain the criteria for the issuance of the building approval plan for high-rise and multi-storey buildings in their respective areas.

During Wednesday's proceedings, the Karachi Cantonment Board's (KCB) additional chief executive officer, Mansoor Alam, informed the commission that the KCB does not approve any plan for construction of multi-storey or high-rise buildings unless the developer or builder submits the no-objection certificate (NOCs) issued by the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to ensure provision of potable water and a working system of solid and liquid waste management in the building. According to him, the KCB had been receiving such NOCs from the KWSB and assured that he will produce copies of such NOCs on January 26.

This claim was contested by KWSB managing director (MD) Misbahuddin, who claimed that no such procedure was being followed by the cantonment boards. Therefore, the commission provided the MD a copy of the additional KCB CEO's report to file comments.

The chief executive officers or representatives of the Clifton, Faisal, Malir, Korangi and Manora cantonment boards requested for time to file relevant reports describing the procedure being adopted by them before approving a plan for multi-storey or high-rise buildings to ensure the availability of potable water and a working system of sanitation. DHA's additional chief engineer, Mansoor, also requested for time to submit a report in this regard by January 26.

Karachi commissioner Dr Badar Jamil also requested time to file a comprehensive report regarding maintenance of the drains (nullahs) falling within the domain of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation.

The MD of the provincial solid waste management board, AD Sajnani, also requested for time to submit a report regarding management of solid waste in Karachi. However, he informed the commission that the board had so far been tasked to deal with solid waste in just two of Karachi's districts: East and South. The district municipal corporations are responsible for the remaining.

Justice Kalhoro ordered issuance of notices to the local government secretary, the deputy commissioners of the five district municipal corporations of Karachi and the chief officer of the Karachi district council.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th, 2017.