KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday summoned the project director of sewage treatment plants (STPs) along with relevant record as the Karachi Water & Sewerage Board (KWSB) sought time to file a detailed report about functioning of STPs.

A lawyer for the Defence Housing Authority also informed the SHC that in pursuance of its last order, one of the two DHA’s treatment plants at Golf Club had been inspected by a team of the Sindh Environmental Protection Agency (Sepa) and a comprehensive report would be filed on the next hearing.

The KWSB in its statement stated that the construction work on Lyari interceptor under the Greater Karachi Sewerage Project, commonly known as S-III, was almost completed while repair and extension work on STP-I and STP-III was still in progress, but work on Malir interceptor and STP-IV could not be started due to lack of funds.

A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi, was hearing a petition filed by some non-governmental organisations in 2017 against release of untreated effluent and industrial waste into the sea.

DHA says Sepa inspected sewage treatment plant at Golf Club

When the hearing began, a lawyer for the KWSB filed a statement along with annexure and requested for time to file a comprehensive report about functioning of STP-I and II as well as STP-IV to be installed in Korangi.

On the last hearing, the bench had expressed displeasure over the DHA for disallowing Sepa access to one of its two STPs for inspection and directed the authority to ensure inspection of the treatment plant by a team of Sepa.

On Wednesday, the counsel for DHA informed the bench that inspection of STP had been completed.

While adjourning the hearing till May 23, the bench directed the project director to be in attendance on the next hearing along with the relevant record.

The KWSB in its statement submitted that S-III was designed to treat around 500 million gallons per day (MGD) of municipal sewerage as existing sewage disposal system lacked treatment facilities and required conveyance network for the sewage to divert it to the treatment plants which was currently being discharged into the sea untreated.

It further stated that the major component of S-III was establishment of STP-IV in Korangi area, near discharge of the Malir river into sea, along with construction of interceptors in Malir and Lyari rivers as well as expansion of STP-I (Site) and STP-III (Mauripur).

However, due to paucity of funds, construction work on Malir interceptor and STP-IV could not be started and thus, Sindh government has taken up the project with the assistance of public-private partnership and Asian Development Bank is carrying out the feasibility of the project and it may include construction and transfer of a new wastewater interceptor (Malir) with a length of around 22 kilometres, it maintained.

The KWSB in its statement further submitted that the Public-Private Partnership Policy Board in its meeting held in October last year under chairmanship of chief minister Sindh had unanimously approved launching of pre-qualification document for wastewater treatment plant (IV).

On the last hearing, Sepa in its report stated that the DHA had installed two treatment plants with a capacity of 2.4MGD and 2MGD, while DHA was generating around eight million gallons per day (MGD) sewage; out of which 3.33MGD was being disposed of into the sea without treatment.

The report also said that the city was generating 472MGD waste while optimum design capacity of STPs were 151MGD, but only 55MGD was being treated and Sindh government, through KWSB, had taken initiative for upgrade of STP-I, STP-III and STP-IV so that the municipal wastewater could be treated while the Karachi Port Trust was also planning to install STP-V to treat wastewater and then discharge into the sea.

Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2023