KARACHI:
To cope with the monsoon rains, the Sindh government had released Rs463 million for cleaning of stormwater drains and other relevant expenditures, claimed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
With the authorities coming under fire after parts of the city were inundated with rainwater and sewage in the most recent deluge, Shah stated on Wednesday that he had issued an amount of Rs200 million on July 17. This, he explained, was a special grant under the Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Programme (SWEEP) to mitigate damage due to the monsoon rains across Karachi.
The CM added that another Rs229 million had earlier been released on July 2, for the cleaning of nullahs ahead of expected monsoon rains in different districts of the province.
"Out of Rs229 million, Rs30 million were released to the Karachi commissioner to remove garbage and debris, Rs70 million to the Hyderabad commissioner, Rs20 million to the Larkana commissioner, Rs31 million to the Mirpurkhas commissioner, Rs38 million to the Shaheed Benazirabad commissioner, Rs40 million to the Sukkur commissioner and Rs4 million for the de-silting of Mehran drain," he detailed.
He further stated that an additional Rs90 million were given to the Karachi commissioner for rain emergency-related work.
"The impression created by some persons that funds have not been released is incorrect and unfounded," he maintained. "We have been investing in the city for rain emergencies, cleaning of nullahs and other such works."
He added that under World Bank projects, the nullahs would be lined, their culverts would be improved and all choking points and bottlenecks would be fixed for the smoother flow of water.
Blame game
Separately, provincial ministers Nasir Hussain Shah and Saeed Ghani criticised the media in a press conference, saying that it had presented an exaggerated picture of the urban flooding caused by monsoon rains.
While admitting that the heavy downpour on Sunday and Monday initially troubled the city, Nasir, the provincial information and local government minister, claimed the situation was quickly brought under control.
"Previously when it rained, roads remained flooded for days and flight and railway operations had to be suspended, but the situation was quite different this time around," he insisted. "The draining of rainwater, including that accumulated on main arteries, was completed within a couple of hours, soon after it stopped raining in most areas."
However, the minister acknowledged that low-lying areas, such as Orangi Town, Liaquatabad, Federal B Area and PECHS, remained flooded and submerged in rainwater for a longer duration.
He further claimed that the change in landscape due to the construction of the Green Line bus rapid transit track had caused water to enter settlements, and eventually houses, in Nazimabad and neighbourhoods near KDA Chowrangi and Nagan Chowrangi.
"Steps are being taken to prevent this from happening again," he assured.
The minister then said that some "conspiratorial segments" had criticised the Pakistan Peoples Party in the past to give a better impression of themselves, but this would not be tolerated and the party would register an FIR against them.
"We invite all stakeholders to come forward to build and serve the city together [with us], instead of criticising us for the sake of criticism," he remarked.
Also speaking on the occasion, Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani claimed that all PPP ministers were out in the streets to deal with the situation following the rain, criticising Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers for remaining absent during this time.
He further lambasted the PTI for initiating the installation of sewerage and water lines during this season, which he said worsened the situation.
Ghani went on to attribute the flooding in Kashmiri Muhalla to constructions along the drains in the locality, and pointed out that citizens had even constructed houses over the nullah in Orangi Town, which was worst affected by the rain.
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