All drained out: No money to pump out sewage
A committee of HDA and WASA officials is set up to look for drainage problems.
HYDERABAD:
The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) revealed that it does not have funds to buy fuel for the 67 electricity generators installed at sewage pumping stations.
“We have not paid our employees for the past three months,” said Shafique Arain, the managing director of WASA on Tuesday.
Latifabad, Qasimabad and other parts of Hyderabad city’s tehsils do not have gravity drains. The sewage is drained out through pumping machines which use generators.
According to Arain, his department has been dealing with an acute financial crunch.
“Against the monthly recovery of around Rs21 million, Wasa spends Rs31 million on employees’ salaries alone.”
The Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), Wasa’s parent organisation, gave them a total of Rs180 million in the past year and a half. “But even this amount is not enough to meet Wasa’s deficit,” said HDA’s director general, Ghulam Muhammad Qaimkhani.
Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Bhurgari formed a committee comprising officers of HDA, Wasa and Hyderabad Development Package to look into water supply and drainage problems and to come up with solutions within seven days. Their recommendations will be pursued with the help of financial support from the government.
He asked the departments to use their current resources to resolve the situation for now.
Meanwhile, Bhurgari presided over a meeting to look over the preparation for the upcoming monsoon while the city recieved its first rains heralding the arrival of the monsoon.
Scattered drizzles were recorded in different parts of the city. According to the meteorological office, 4.5 millimeters rain was recorded by 6 pm on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.
The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) revealed that it does not have funds to buy fuel for the 67 electricity generators installed at sewage pumping stations.
“We have not paid our employees for the past three months,” said Shafique Arain, the managing director of WASA on Tuesday.
Latifabad, Qasimabad and other parts of Hyderabad city’s tehsils do not have gravity drains. The sewage is drained out through pumping machines which use generators.
According to Arain, his department has been dealing with an acute financial crunch.
“Against the monthly recovery of around Rs21 million, Wasa spends Rs31 million on employees’ salaries alone.”
The Hyderabad Development Authority (HDA), Wasa’s parent organisation, gave them a total of Rs180 million in the past year and a half. “But even this amount is not enough to meet Wasa’s deficit,” said HDA’s director general, Ghulam Muhammad Qaimkhani.
Sindh Fisheries Minister Zahid Bhurgari formed a committee comprising officers of HDA, Wasa and Hyderabad Development Package to look into water supply and drainage problems and to come up with solutions within seven days. Their recommendations will be pursued with the help of financial support from the government.
He asked the departments to use their current resources to resolve the situation for now.
Meanwhile, Bhurgari presided over a meeting to look over the preparation for the upcoming monsoon while the city recieved its first rains heralding the arrival of the monsoon.
Scattered drizzles were recorded in different parts of the city. According to the meteorological office, 4.5 millimeters rain was recorded by 6 pm on Monday.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2011.