Judicial commission allows a week’s time for report on implementation on clean water supply

Half of Karachi’s water not being chlorinated, admits KWSB MD

KARACHI: The Supreme Court (SC)-formed judicial commission directed on Saturday task force members to submit their reports within one week regarding progress on implementation of its recommendations regarding supply of clean drinking water, improvement of deteriorating sanitation conditions and checking growing pollution.

Justice Muhammad Iqbal Kalhoro of the Sindh High Court, who is heading the judicial commission, passed these directives during implementation proceedings on its recommendations on supply of clean drinking water, deteriorating sanitation conditions and its impact on the environment.

The SC had recently conferred more powers on the inquiry commission to initiate implementation proceedings as the provincial authorities failed to improve the water and sanitation conditions.



At the outset of the hearing, the focal person to the provincial chief secretary, Dr Saeed Ahmed Qureshi, produced a notification regarding his nomination to assist the commission on behalf of the chief secretary.

He also requested for one week’s time to furnish reports in respect of compliance with the Supreme Court's orders regarding the reverse osmosis plants, solid waste management and North Sindh Urban Services Corporation (NSUSC).

The additional advocate-general, Barrister Ghulam Mustafa Mahesar, and the provincial irrigation secretary, Jamal Mustafa Syed, informed the commission that a task force had been constituted in compliance of the apex court's orders and it had held several meetings to carve out a roadmap for the implementation of the recommendations of the commission as well as the SC.



The secretary said the process of collecting data was still underway and he would be able to submit a comprehensive report showing a complete structure for carrying out the directions and recommendations within one week.

On his request, the commission granted him one week’s time so that further directions could be passed.

The managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB), Hashim Zaidi, informed the commission that in light of the recommendations made by the commission and the SC, he had already started work and has taken steps to control the situation and ensure that all the water being supplied to the people of Karachi was chlorinated.



According to him, nearly 230 million gallons per day was being chlorinated currently, which was then mixed with the non-chlorinated water. Therefore, the required results are not being achieved, he added.

However, he sought one week’s time to submit a comprehensive report as to what steps were taken and were needed in terms of the orders passed by the SC.

The commission granted him one week time to do so.

The provincial health secretary, Fazlullah Pechuho, said the health department had started work and was in the process of either purchasing new incinerators or rehabilitating the ones already installed in the hospitals.



The secretary said orders had also been issued to the officials concerned to take immediate steps to dispose of the rest of the hospital waste, which was not infected. He assured the commission that he will furnish a report by April 8.

The commissioner of Hyderabad said he had recently taken over the charge and held meetings with the officials concerned. The commissioner said he has been informed that the dumping of solid waste in irrigation channels had been stopped. He requested for a week’s time to submit a detailed report.

The manager of the Karachi Port Trust's marine pollution control department, Fayaz Rasool, said a meeting had been scheduled for April 5 in which a plan will be devised to implement the court's directives to take steps for controlling growing marine pollution due to dumping of the untreated toxic industrial waste and sewerage into the sea.



He requested for time to furnish a report by April 8. The commission allowed him time.

The additional director-general of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency, SM Yahya, also requested the commissioner to grant him time till April 8 to file a report regarding compliance of the directives passed by the apex court to take action against the industries causing pollution and the violators of the environmental laws.

Allowing request, the commission granted him time. The next hearing was fixed on April 8.