From the ground up

It is important that division of power is regulated in such a way that enough is given for making significant changes

Currently most of the efforts of the government seem to be focused on stablising the economic situation of the country and right fully so. However, in doing so they cannot forget about ground-level administrations. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and it is also important to look at the country from a ground up perspective.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA), one of the most important civic bodies in Hyderabad, is under such a financial crisis that 60% of the raw water being taken from the Indus River and supplied to the city is not going through the chlorination process. The department faces a huge deficit in receivables as out of the Rs471 million bills issued by WASA only Rs125 million has been allocated to them by the Hyderabad-based provincial government.

The condition is mostly the same throughout different civic bodies across the country and this seems to be one of the major hindrances towards development. Such administrations not only need to be healthy in terms of finance but also need to play a highly active role in trying to understand the persisting or emerging problems. These administrations have the ability to work at the ground level to improve the living standards of spaces and people, and provide them with the basic rights and necessities. It is important that division of power and resources are regulated in such a way that enough is given for making significant changes, owing to the dilapidated conditions of our cities, while keeping accountability in check. Furthermore, these civic bodies need to work in collaboration not only with other civic bodies but also with the people so as to fully understand and solve problems with clarity and efficiency. A solid foundation at the ground-level will provide a base for much development in the future.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 9^th, 2020.

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