One year on, little improvement seen in Hyderabad
Commission visits 10 sites, notes that waste still being dumped in canals
A water expert said when the commission first visited the Phuleli Canal there were bodies of dogs in it, this time there were the carcasses of cows and donkeys. PHOTO: EXPRESS
HYDERABAD:
On its maiden visit to Hyderabad on January 19, 2017, the judicial commission on water and sanitation came across drinking water, drainage and pollution woes debilitating the citizens' health unheeded.
The commission observed the supply of foul drinking water, dumping of tons of solid waste, offal and carcasses of animals as well as municipal and industrial sewage in the canals and solid waste burning. It found the water filtration plants and sewage treatment plants either dysfunctional or incapacitated and non-existence of landfill sites.
A year down the line, and especially after dozens of hearings conducted by the commission's former head, Justice Iqbal Kalhoro of Sindh High Court, the state of play is much the same. "Improvement?" reacted Dr Ahsan Siddiqi, a water expert who accompanied the commission's new head, Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim during a visit to several sites in Hyderabad on Monday, to a question while sharing his observation about the sites after the visit.
"I saw bodies of dead dogs lying in Phuleli Canal – a drinking and irrigation water source for Hyderabad, TM Khan, Badin and Thatta districts - during the visit with Justice Kalhoro last year. Today we saw carcasses of donkeys and cows instead." While talking to The Express Tribune, he described the condition of the Phuleli and other canals as 'the worst' due to unimpeded dumping of solid waste and sewage.
"One can't imagine how bad the things are." For him, the only exception among the 10 places was the 30 million gallons a day main filtration plant, which has partially improved its operations by establishing a laboratory. But even there, one of the three clarifiers, each of which has a 10MGD capacity, was not working.
Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim-led commission to start proceedings today
A government official, who has been attending the commission's hearings and accompanying it on visits in Hyderabad, also echoed Dr Siddiqui’s concerns. "Despite repeated orders by the commission, untreated sewage and industrial water is still being released into the canals. The embankments are fraught with garbage, animal offal and waste from the small and home based industries of the city," the official said, requesting anonymity.
According to him, the only combined effluent treatment plant in Kotri Site area was functioning but it was releasing partly untreated water in the KB Feeder Canal, which supplies water from the Indus River to Karachi.
Commission's directives
Justice (retd) Muslim, along with officials of various government departments, visited at least 10 locations in Hyderabad including the filtration and sewage plants, canals and the disposal sites of drainage. To its surprise, the commission found fishing activities under way in the four lagoons of the 30MGD filtration plant on Jamshoro Road.
Justice (retd) Muslim directed the managing director of the Water and Sanitation Agency to immediately stop the fishing and ordered the police to establish a post along the lagoons to prevent such activities in the future. Expressing dismay over the performance of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) and reprimanding municipal commissioner Shahid Ali Khan, he gave the HMC one week to lift solid waste and offal from the canals' banks.
The judge also gave a two-week deadline to the HMC for making its slaughterhouse operational and removing illegal meat-cutting activities in settled areas. Justice (retd) Muslim directed the district administration and Qasimabad Municipal Committee to remove squatters from embankment of the Indus River in Sehrish Nagar.
CJP vows to shut down Sindh tanker mafia
He reportedly tasked Dr Siddiqui with supervising the work of making the northern and southern treatment plants functional and asked the WASA officials to make the Halanaka and Paretabad filtration plants functional. The judge summoned the officials of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board who will have to explain the delay in acquirement of two landfill sites and in starting their garbage collection and disposal operations in Hyderabad. He told the officials that unlike the previous head of the commission, he will be frequently visiting the sites to monitor compliance of his orders.
He asked the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company to maintain uninterrupted supply of electricity to water filtration plants and pumping stations.
Justice (retd) Muslim summoned Aftab Memon, a member of land utilisation, over the phone regarding the approval of two landfill sites and told him to appear before the commission in Karachi.
The judge noted that the number of cases filed in the environmental tribunal by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency appeared inadequate in view of the widespread violation of environmental laws. He was earlier informed that 155 cases have been sent to the tribunal.
On its maiden visit to Hyderabad on January 19, 2017, the judicial commission on water and sanitation came across drinking water, drainage and pollution woes debilitating the citizens' health unheeded.
The commission observed the supply of foul drinking water, dumping of tons of solid waste, offal and carcasses of animals as well as municipal and industrial sewage in the canals and solid waste burning. It found the water filtration plants and sewage treatment plants either dysfunctional or incapacitated and non-existence of landfill sites.
A year down the line, and especially after dozens of hearings conducted by the commission's former head, Justice Iqbal Kalhoro of Sindh High Court, the state of play is much the same. "Improvement?" reacted Dr Ahsan Siddiqi, a water expert who accompanied the commission's new head, Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim during a visit to several sites in Hyderabad on Monday, to a question while sharing his observation about the sites after the visit.
"I saw bodies of dead dogs lying in Phuleli Canal – a drinking and irrigation water source for Hyderabad, TM Khan, Badin and Thatta districts - during the visit with Justice Kalhoro last year. Today we saw carcasses of donkeys and cows instead." While talking to The Express Tribune, he described the condition of the Phuleli and other canals as 'the worst' due to unimpeded dumping of solid waste and sewage.
"One can't imagine how bad the things are." For him, the only exception among the 10 places was the 30 million gallons a day main filtration plant, which has partially improved its operations by establishing a laboratory. But even there, one of the three clarifiers, each of which has a 10MGD capacity, was not working.
Justice (retd) Amir Hani Muslim-led commission to start proceedings today
A government official, who has been attending the commission's hearings and accompanying it on visits in Hyderabad, also echoed Dr Siddiqui’s concerns. "Despite repeated orders by the commission, untreated sewage and industrial water is still being released into the canals. The embankments are fraught with garbage, animal offal and waste from the small and home based industries of the city," the official said, requesting anonymity.
According to him, the only combined effluent treatment plant in Kotri Site area was functioning but it was releasing partly untreated water in the KB Feeder Canal, which supplies water from the Indus River to Karachi.
Commission's directives
Justice (retd) Muslim, along with officials of various government departments, visited at least 10 locations in Hyderabad including the filtration and sewage plants, canals and the disposal sites of drainage. To its surprise, the commission found fishing activities under way in the four lagoons of the 30MGD filtration plant on Jamshoro Road.
Justice (retd) Muslim directed the managing director of the Water and Sanitation Agency to immediately stop the fishing and ordered the police to establish a post along the lagoons to prevent such activities in the future. Expressing dismay over the performance of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) and reprimanding municipal commissioner Shahid Ali Khan, he gave the HMC one week to lift solid waste and offal from the canals' banks.
The judge also gave a two-week deadline to the HMC for making its slaughterhouse operational and removing illegal meat-cutting activities in settled areas. Justice (retd) Muslim directed the district administration and Qasimabad Municipal Committee to remove squatters from embankment of the Indus River in Sehrish Nagar.
CJP vows to shut down Sindh tanker mafia
He reportedly tasked Dr Siddiqui with supervising the work of making the northern and southern treatment plants functional and asked the WASA officials to make the Halanaka and Paretabad filtration plants functional. The judge summoned the officials of Sindh Solid Waste Management Board who will have to explain the delay in acquirement of two landfill sites and in starting their garbage collection and disposal operations in Hyderabad. He told the officials that unlike the previous head of the commission, he will be frequently visiting the sites to monitor compliance of his orders.
He asked the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company to maintain uninterrupted supply of electricity to water filtration plants and pumping stations.
Justice (retd) Muslim summoned Aftab Memon, a member of land utilisation, over the phone regarding the approval of two landfill sites and told him to appear before the commission in Karachi.
The judge noted that the number of cases filed in the environmental tribunal by the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency appeared inadequate in view of the widespread violation of environmental laws. He was earlier informed that 155 cases have been sent to the tribunal.