Judicial commission takes notice of contamination of water sources

Energy commission secretary to explain dumping of hazardous waste from Thermal Power Plant in water sources

KARACHI:

The judicial commission took notice on Friday of the dumping of hazardous waste produced by the Thermal Power Plant in Jamshoro into water sources, which were being contaminated and becoming hazardous to human health.

Headed by Justice (retired) Amir Hani Muslim, the Supreme Court-appointed commission issued a notice to the secretary of the energy commission to personally appear to explain the dumping of hazardous waste generated by it in water sources.

The commission also issued a notice to the additional attorney-general. It summoned the Hyderabad DIG to appear along with details of cases allegedly registered against citizens for protesting against the contamination of the water canal where the power plant's discharge was being dumped without being properly treated. They were told to appear along with requisite details on March 20.

Earlier, the Rangers presented a report, stating that patrolling had been intensified along the Malir riverbed to curb illegal excavation of sand and stone.

Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar left the courtroom when Deputy Mayor Arshad Vohra entered.

The commission came down hard on the provincial health secretary and director-general of health over frequent transfers and postings of medical superintendents and project directors of different projects initiated at public hospitals.

It directed them to submit a summary containing details of transfers and postings of medical superintendents and project directors made in the health department in the last six months.

Justice (retd) Muslim told the health secretary and health DG that officers were frequently being transferred after the commission assigned them any duty. He told the secretary to submit in writing that no transfers and postings will be made without assigning any solid reasons.

Regarding non-availability of medicines at public hospitals, the health secretary admitted that most of the medicines provided free of charge at health facilities were sold by the staff. The commission told the secretary that private persons were coming forward to install water plants at hospitals because the government had failed to do so.

The secretary sought six additional months to ensure the provision of clean drinking water at every health facility in the province. He informed the commission that a work plan had been devised for the installation of incinerators at the hospitals to ensure safe disposal of toxic medical waste, adding a summary had also been moved to the chief secretary for approval.

The chief secretary assured the government will provide the requisite funds for the incinerators within one week.

The commission told the health secretary to submit a timeframe for the provision of clean drinking water and a sewerage system at the hospitals of Nawabshah, Larkana and other districts.

It also sought details from the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board and Water and Sanitation Authority Hyderabad to submit details of pipelines laid down in the two cities.

The commission directed the education secretary to furnish details regarding progress in the provision of clean drinking water at schools and colleges across the province.

It also directed the Pakistan Railways divisional superintendent for Karachi to provide clean drinking water at railway stations and remove garbage along train tracks.