KARACHI: Desalination plant vital for Karachi, says CS: Risky buildings to be demolished
KARACHI, Dec 5: The provincial Chief Secretary, K. B. Rind has ordered the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) to undertake repair and maintenance of certain underground water pipelines in order to prevent dilapidation of roads.
He also instructed the Board officials to take effective and expeditious measures for the installation of desalination plant to resolve the perennial water shortage problem in the city once and for all. Besides, he urged, all the ongoing projects be completed on time and those in the pipeline executed for the purpose.
Mr Rind visited old city areas, including Ranchor Line, Ramaswami and M. A. Jinnah Road, here on Thursday and expressed his apprehension over the dilapidated condition of decades-old buildings still being used for residential purposes.
He directed departments of Local Government, Public Health and Engineering as well as Construction and Communication to conduct a survey of dilapidated buildings and roads in the city and the interior of Sindh after Eidul Fitr and ensure special measures for their repairing and maintenance. He observed that a large number of people resided in the risk-prone structures which were evidently worn out.
He underscored the exigency that concerned officials must persuade occupants of these buildings in a decent and polite manner to arrange for the repair and strengthening of their accommodation.
The chief secretary said that if the owners or occupants of the extremely dilapidated buildings could not afford repair and strengthening work, these structures should be demolished in the greater interest of these people’s own safety and security.
“By pursuing this line of action, chances of acrimony and misgiving which may strike residents, can be removed effectively and amicably,” he remarked.
He directed the secretaries of the concerned departments to complete the survey of dilapidated buildings by the end of next month and submit a report with him in this regard.
He took stock of the situation arising out of the leakages in underground water and sewerage lines, which have been causing damage to many of the roads and sometimes inundating them to the extent of making them unusable for the commuters and pedestrians.
Mr Rind asked the KWSB to prepare and submit to him a comprehensive report in this regard.
He said that he would convene a meeting of all the concerned departments and organizations to evolve a comprehensive strategy. He said that execution of work would be finalized as per the recommendations put forward by these departments during the meeting.
Mr Rind expressed his satisfaction over the repairing of return track stretched over Gulshan Chowrangi to Mirza Abul Hasan Isphahani Road. He, however, directed the KWSB to plug the leakage in the underground pipelines which was causing damage to this portion of the road.—PPI
