KARACHI: The Provincial Co­­ordination & Implementation Committee (PCIC), working on development in Karachi, on Monday decided to maintain width of nullahs as per the city’s master plan and relocate human settlement and commercial units established along their embankments.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at CM House. It was attended by Labour Minister Saeed Ghani, Corps Commander Karachi Lt-General Humayoon Aziz, Chairman P&D Mohammad Waseem, GOC & PCIC Chief Coordinator Maj-General Aqeel Ahmed, Additional Secretary Ministry of Planning Aziz Uqaili, Brig Waseem of the NDMA, Director ISPR Brig Jahangir, Administrator Karachi Iftikhar Shahalwani, Commissioner Karachi Sohail Rajput, Secretary Transport Shariq Ahmed, Secretary LG Najam Shah, MD water board Asadullah Khan and MD SSWMB Zubair Channa and others concerned.

Width of all major drains to be maintained as per city’s master plan

The meeting was told that there were 13,441 households and 2,948 commercial establishments standing on four nullahs and one river. They include 5,916 households and 2,412 commercial units on Gujjar Nullah, 4,480 households and 380 commercial units on Orangi Nullah, 1,049 households and 156 commercial units on Mahmoodabad Nullah and 1,996 households on Malir River.

The meeting was informed that the government had issued vacation notices to the people living and doing business on the nallahs and river.

It was informed that the NED University was conducting a survey. The terms of references (TORs) for the survey include to analyse the length, width and capacities of the 44 existing storm water drains, the survey of nullahs with a number of physical structures and to develop a drone-assisted mapping and outline of the encroached land.

Commissioner Sohail Rajput said that surveys of nine nullahs of district East, including Mahmoodabad nullahs, had been completed while the survey of the district Central nullahs would be completed by the end of this week.

The meeting decided to conduct technical study of the nullahs by conducting hydrologic and hydraulic modeling studies.

Under the technical study demarcation of existing drainage network, quantification of the expected flows in the region, cross section details of nullahs would be used to assess the capacity of existing sections to cater the flows, an ideal cross-section would be proposed for each drain based on terrain and flow models for current and future improvement and to prepare best management plans for drainage network to mitigate the risk of urban flooding.

The chief minister directed the city commissioner to complete the technical study within the next three months.

Keeping in view different factors, the meeting decided to maintain actual width of nullahs as per the master plan for the purpose and remove human settlements and commercial establishments from the site. However, NED University study results for determining optimal size of nullahs would be considered. The university was authorised to design the nullahs as per the master plan.

The meeting decided to work out different models of human resettlement and present them in the next apex committee meeting for approval.

A three-member committee comprising administrator Karachi, commissioner Karachi and local government secretary would prepare the rehabilitation plans.

Clean Karachi drive

The Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB) chief told the meeting that a cleanliness drive for the entire city had been started on Oct 20. He said that front end collection (FEC) operation was launched by the labour minister and the cleanliness drive in districts Korangi and Central was being steered by the administrators of the DMCs, while middle end operations in Korangi and Central were being looked after by the SSWMB.

The meeting decided to give award to best performing districts and union councils.

The chief minister said that he would be satisfied when people of the localities would start saying that their areas were being swept properly and the garbage was lifted in time.

He directed all DMC administrators to keep visiting their areas to watch cleanliness work and proper disposal of waste water.

The meeting also discussed Karachi Circular Railway arrangement proposal and decided to review it once again because the local train arrangement would affect the launch of modern train systems.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2020