HMC, WASA get wakeup call from commissioner

Hyderabad division head says civic agencies failed to fulfil their responsibilities

HYDERABAD:

The public complaints against Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) and Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC) echoed at an official meeting on Wednesday between the top bosses of the civic agencies and the administrative head of the Hyderabad division.

Hyderabad Commissioner Nadeemur Rehman Memon censured both the organs of civic amenities over their utter failure. He expressed dismay over the issue like shortage of water, seepage of sewer in water lines, clogged sewerage system, and lack of cleanliness which are affecting the daily lives of millions of residents of Hyderabad.

"The officials of these essential services related organizations should address their internal problems and they should resolve the public complaints on priority." The WASA is headed by Zahid Khemtio as its managing director and HMC by Shoaib Ahmed Malik as its administrator.

Both the agencies have annoyed the citizens a great deal due to their poor services. "The divisional and district administrations as well as the provincial government are blamed for the poor services of Hyderabad Development Authority, WASA and HMC," he observed.

The commissioner said during his recent visit to Paretabad area, the local people complained against WASA because of the water shortage and drainage problems. He asked the director general of HA Muhammad Sohail to provide funds to WASA so that the agency can hire workers and get its machinery repaired.

The commissioner also barred the sugar mills from releasing the industrial effluent in the fresh water canals and distributaries. Memon said the mills should set up effluent treatment plants. He formed a committee headed by water technician Dr Ahsan Siddiqui to check the water quality in the Indus river in the upstream of Kotri barrage.

Irrigation

At a separate meeting at Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority's secretariat in Hyderabad, the provincial irrigation secretary Suhail Ahmed Qureshi said water scarcity problem in the tail-end areas of the irrigation network ought to be resolved. He asked SIDA to identify the water supply networks requiring rehabilitation so that water could be supplied to the tail-end localities.

The chairman Left Bank Canals Area Water Board Qabool Muhammad Khatian said Badin district suffers a lot from the water shortage problem.

He demanded that the irrigation system in Badin should be upgraded on priority.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 17^th, 2022.