Commissioner wants youth to help in rain emergency plan

The overflowing nullahs need immediate cleaning before monsoon hits the city.

KARACHI: Since only a week is left in the upcoming monsoon season and heavy rain is forecasted, the youth of Karachi were called upon by the city administration to take part in the rain emergency plan.

Karachi commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, along with Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) administrator Rauf Akhtar Farooqui, requested this while addressing an emergency press briefing at the Civic Center on Sunday to highlight the key measures taken by the city administration.

"The situation is critical and there is a need for massive cleaning," said Siddiqui.

"People from all walks of life, especially the youth, should take part in the cleaning process and the administration will pay them," he requested.

He added that during the last few weeks, he visited 56 different spots and most of the drainage nullahs there were encroached by factory owners and a few others were filled with garbage.

"Can you imagine that people have established cricket grounds on some nullahs?" he said.

The Karachi commissioner also informed the media that it is the first time that all stakeholders of the city are on the same page.

"We asked all stakeholders including the Defense Housing Authority (DHA), all cantonment boards, civil aviation and the Karachi Port Trust to immediately chalk out a plan for the safety of the residents during the rain emergency," he informed the media.

"These stakeholders would be responsible if there is any disaster-like situation in their respective areas."

"In Gulistan-e-Jauhar, the builders have thrown debris into nullahs, while in district South, a prominent school chain has also choked the nullahs by repeatedly throwing garbage in it," he said.

The commissioner also asked all municipal commissioners of different District Municipal Corporations to ensure that their staff members do not dump garbage into the nullahs; otherwise action will be taken against the concerned municipal officer.

Replying to a question about the Saadi Town incident where a large segment of the city was inundated last season, he said that he had paid a visit to that area along with the KMC administrator and assured that last year's situation would not be repeated.

The Karachi administrator also claimed that they had been following the rain emergency plan since March.

"We had requested the chief minister for funds to buy fuel for our vehicles and he immediately released it," he said. "We are monitoring the situation closely but if there is any disaster, it would be man-made since we, as citizens, have destroyed the natural drainage system ourselves." he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 23^rd, 2014.