KARACHI: The judicial commission investigating environmental degradation, non-provision of clean drinking water and sanitation facilities in the province ordered the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) on Saturday to restart all three waste treatment plants.

Two effluent treatment plants located in the SITE and Mauripur areas would be made operational within 45 days whereas the third one, established in Mehmoodabad, within three months, Justice Iqbal Mohammad Kalhoro heading the commission stated.

He also directed the DIG-South to get the illegally occupied 50 acres of the waste treatment land in Mehmoodabad vacated.

During the court proceedings, the KWSB represented by project director of the Greater Sewerage Plan (S-III) Imtiaz Magsi and the chief engineer, Azam Khan, admitted that all three treatment plants were currently closed but argued that the Mauripur and SITE treatment plants were part of the S-III project and would be operated after their capacity for treatment was increased under the project.

The court was informed by the KWSB officials that the 50 acres of the waste treatment plant (TP2) in Mehmoodabad had been allotted to the people affected by the Preedy Street project in 2007-08 by then city nazim Mustafa Kamal whereas 50 acres were illegally occupied through ‘China-cutting’. The remaining 20 acres were also under threat of encroachment.

The commission did not find their arguments convincing and observed that the waste treatment plants were the city’s lifeline and had to be made operational under the KWSB act of 1996 which allowed immediate implementation of task in emergency conditions.

Suleman Chandiol, former managing director of the KWSB, who is assisting the commission, questioned the closure of all waste treatment plants (having the capacity of treating a total of 150MGD liquid municipal waste) and said there was no need for the plants’ rehabilitation.

According to him, the capacity of Mehmoodabad and SITE plants built in 1965 was enhanced from 20MGD to 50MGD in 1989 whereas the Mauripur one was built in 1989, all with the support of the Asian Development Bank.

“Their designed life is 100 years and their capacity is according to their command areas and there is no need for rehabilitation,” he said, adding that if any repair work was required, it should have been carried out in phases instead of closing all plants altogether.

It was also pointed out that though the waste treatments plants were non-functional, a budget was allocated for the plants and hundreds of employees received their salaries and perks regularly.

The commission also recorded concerns raised by the secretary for local government, also former managing director of the Karachi Fisheries Harbour Authority, Ramzan Awan, on the performance of the Karachi Port Trust and said that though the trust charged a heavy amount from vessels, it cared little for oil spills and handling imported coal poorly, thus contributing to marine pollution.

Published in Dawn, January 15th, 2017