Waseem Akhtar asks Sindh govt to clean Karachi's storm drains to ward off urban flooding

With the Met department forecasting 20% more rains this year in the monsoon season, Karachi Mayor Waseem Akhtar has asked the Sindh government to immediately start cleaning the city's storm drains to prevent urban flooding. 

According to a statement from the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, the mayor said that there was an immense need to initiate the cleaning work on a war footing, keeping in mind the threat of urban flooding. 

He said the drains were full of garbage, so it would take many weeks to complete the cleaning of the nullahs. He asked the provincial government to stop neglecting Karachi because it was the economical hub and engine of Pakistan.

Akhtar made these remarks during a meeting on the cleaning of the city’s stormwater drains. Senior Director Coordination Masood Alam, Senior Director Municipal Services Nauman Arshad, Director Machinery Mushir Ahmed and others were also present on the occasion.

The mayor said the PMD had forecast 20% more rains, which could cause urban flooding, adding that since the monsoon rain spell in the city was just around the corner, the cleaning of the stormwater drains should be started.

He said that on the one hand the provincial government had kept all the revenue-generating departments, and on the other, it had asked the KMC to increase its revenue. “How could the KMC increase its revenue when it does not have revenue-generating departments?”

He said that 38 big stormwater drains of Karachi had not been cleaned since 2018, adding that the drainage system of major arteries and underpasses was linked with the stormwater drains.

He added that he had informed Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah about the stormwater drains under the district municipal corporations (DMCs), but he lamented that no funds had been issued for the DMCs.

Speaking on the provincial budget, Akhtar claimed that the Sindh government had once again demonstrated its enmity with Karachi by decreasing the number of projects for the city.

He said the provincial government had not incorporated even a single project suggested by the KMC. “It’s very unfair that the Pakistan Peoples Party is promoting Wadera Shahi through its numerical strength in the Sindh Assembly.”

The mayor was of the view that the Sindh Local Government Act had lost its spirit because it was amended so many times. He urged making serious efforts to serve the people of the province by keeping biased political views aside.

Originally published in The News