'4,364 tonnes of garbage removed from Karachi's stormwater drains'

At least 4,364 tonnes of garbage has been removed from Karachi’s stormwater drains since yesterday, said the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) spokesperson on Tuesday.

He said there were a total of 552 small and large stormwater drains in the port city. “Cleaning of 22 out of the 38 major drains has been started on an emergency basis."

The Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) personnel are working on the Gujjar, Korangi and Mowach Goth nullahs, whereas the Sindh government has taken the responsibility of cleaning 19 drains.

The spokesperson pointed out that there are 21 choke points in three major drains, and that 14 FWO teams were cleaning them. “The FWO is cleaning the drains on a 24-hour basis,” the spokesperson added.

On August 3, it was reported that Sindh Rangers personnel had also been deployed at the site of the drain clearance work that is being led by the NDMA.

The garbage from the sewerage drain was being immediately transferred to the landfill site.

The drain clearance work has also been started near 'Cafe Piyala', in Federal B Area; heavy machinery and other equipment was being used.

Last week, Prime Minister Imran Khan had directed the Pakistan Army and NDMA to help in cleaning up the economic hub of the country as the ongoing monsoon spell turned many roads into rivers of filthy rainwater and left many houses and shops flooded.

As many as 10 people, including children, had died during the last spell of monsoon rains in the provincial capital.

NDMA Chairman Lt Gen Muhammad Afzal had said that two-pronged strategy has been devised in collaboration with stakeholders to avoid flash flood losses in Karachi permanently.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, he said work on a short term strategy would start from August 3, to mitigate flash flood losses up to optimum level during the next two to three wet spells expected in August and September.