Sindh cabinet decides to establish desalination plant in Karachi

KARACHI: The new Sindh cabinet, in its maiden meeting on Monday, decided to establish a desalination plant to provide drinking water to the people of Karachi.

The meeting, held under the chairmanship of Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, also declared Thar and some parts of Umerkot as drought-hit areas.

The meeting also decided to allocate land for graveyard in Karachi.

The meeting was attended by all the eight ministers, two advisers, Sindh chief secretary, Inspector General of Police and other concerned secretaries.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah said that the last government [of PPP] had passed a three-month budget to enable the caretaker government to make necessary expenditures up to September 2018.

"Now, we have to make a new budget before September 30 and present it in the house," he said.

Taking notice of water supply schemes in Karachi, the chief minister directed the local government to initiate work on a war footing to install a desalination plant in Karachi so that the city’s water crisis could be resolved as soon as possible.

CM Murad said that Kinjhar, Haleji, Hadero and other depressions can also be developed as a reliable reservoir for water supply to Karachi and KB Feeder.

Secretary Irrigation Jamal Shah briefed the meeting that due to water shortages, rice crop had suffered huge losses.

The chief minister directed the provincial ministers and advisers to visit barrages to view the situation and report back to him.

Sindh Minister Mir Shabirt Bijarani will visit Guddu Barrage, CM Adviser Mohammad Bux Maher Sukkur Barrage, Ismail Rahu Kotri Barrage, and Syed Sardar Shah and Makhdoom Mahboob Zaman the left bank canals of the Sukkur Barrage.

CM Murad said that he had banned cultivation of rice on the left bank of River Indus. He directed the chief secretary to get report from all the DCs about the rice cultivation on the left bank of the river so that action could be taken.

Senior Member Board of Revenue Iqbal Durani briefed the cabinet on the drought situation in Thar.

Drought is a period of usually dry weather that may stretch long enough to cause problems such as crop damage and people’s livelihoods.

Taluka Mithi received only 58mm rain during last three months, June to August.

All the 167 dehs of all talukas of Tharparkar and 25 dehs of Umerkot are calamity-hit areas. Approximately 323,435 families in Thar and 43,240 families in Umerkot have been affected by the drought.

The BoR recommended postponement of government dues and remission of government duties such as land tax and agriculture income tax.

The cabinet also decided to give affected people relief packages including wheat distribution at the quantity of 50kg per family per month.

The chief minister also directed the concerned authorities to review the drought status of Achhro Thar, Kachho and Kohistan.

CM Murad also constituted a committee comprising Revenue Minister Makhdoom Mahboob and Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah which will visit Thar along with SMBR and provincial secretaries of health and food, and recommend relief measures so that proper support to the drought-affected areas could be lent.