20 February 2005	Sunday	10 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, Feb 19: Factory waste has ruined an ancient graveyard because of manmade flooding that has swept through its major portion, vanishing countless graves.

The graveyard is located in Shershah section of Gulbai area in Keamari Town. A large number of industrial units have emerged in the vicinity after the establishment of the SITE.

According to visitors, the destruction had been caused by spillage from a nearby drain, meant for the disposal of stagnant water into Lyari river. It played havoc with the graveyard as industrial waste is constantly being discharged for years into the drain.

Quite a large number of industrial units surrounding the graveyard have been established illegally by occupying graveyard land and almost all of them dispose of their waste into the drain.

The residents said that not only the old factory owners continue to dispose of industrial waste into the drain, but the new ones are also indulging in illegal dumping of waste.

Expressing concern over destruction of graves, many visitors pointed out that stagnant factory water had blocked access to the graves of their dear ones, and bushes have grown all over the affected area.

Land-grabbers have demolished a boundary wall of the graveyard in a bid to capture more land. The residents said they had repeatedly drawn the attention of authorities towards the deteriorating condition of the graveyard but to no avail.

Recently, they said though orders for removal of encroachments from the surrounding of all graveyards had been issued by the authorities, but no effective measures had been taken for the cleanliness of Mororo graveyard.