
There is more bad news. The federal government has now decided to cut out funding for the Greater Karachi Sewage Treatment Plan (S-III) from the public-sector development programme (PSDP) in the upcoming budget. This, environmentalists warn, would only lead to further degradation of the delicate marine ecosystem and environment of the city. The marine ecology of Karachi has already seen a number of disasters over the past couple of decades. From the continuous flow of untreated sewage from its teeming millions of residents to its industries to the oil tankers which have polluted its waters and beaches with oil.
Doing away with the S-III will be nothing short of calamitous, especially for a government which built a chunk of its political capital over its laser-focus on improving the environment and combating climate change. With the Sindh government having already proved itself to be tone-deaf towards the environment, it presented an opportunity for the PTI to prove it was a better option for the city of lights. The ball is now in the PTI’s court to show whether it means what it says or it is doing mere lip service on the environment.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 8th, 2019.
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