KARACHI: The ministry of defence informed the Supreme Court-mandated commission on water and sanitation on Monday that the Cantonment Board Clifton (CBC) and Defence Housing Authority (DHA) had been instructed not to dispose of untreated sewage into the sea and a proposed sewage treatment plant would be installed by Aug 2019.

The head of the commission, retried SC Justice Amir Hani Muslim, at an earlier hearing had directed the defence secretary to appear before him or nominate a senior official of the ministry to make a statement about the installation of sewage treatment plants in the DHA.

At the outset of the hearing, the joint secretary of the ministry of defence, Farooq Hasan, appeared before the commission and submitted that a meeting was conducted by the defence secretary on May 31 in Islamabad in which it was unanimously decided that the proposed treatment plant would be executed through the DHA.

The ministry had instructed the CBC and DHA not to dispose of untreated sewage into the public recreational beach area/sea and a sewage treatment plant in the Kublai Khan area would be installed by August 2019, he added.

‘The KWSB has granted 114 water connections to different cantonment boards in Karachi’

The official further said that as per the directives of the commission, untreated sewage discharge into storm-water drains would be diverted to a treatment plant within four months.

He added that no untreated sewage discharge by restaurants/ kiosks would be allowed into the sea and mitigation would take place as per the orders of the commission.

Justice Muslim observed that the proposed treatment plant should cater to the need of the entire DHA.

The official stated that the sewage of DHA Phase-VIII would be treated by the existing treatment plant installed near Creek Vista.

However, the commission said that for the remaining Phases- I to VII, the stance of the DHA was debatable since according to them some of the phases were planned in such a manner that their sewage was to be treated through the Mehmoodabad treatment plant.

The managing director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) also denied it and said that the treatment plant would cater to the sewage drained through Mehmoodabad, adding that the plant had the capacity of 180MGD, but it did not include the sewage of any phases of the DHA.

The commission directed its coordinator Asif Hyder Shah to coordinate with the DHA, cantonment boards, KWSB and project director of the treatment plant to streamline as to how the proposed treatment plant was to be constructed and it also needed to be evaluated that what should be the capacity of the proposed plant.

The commission had summoned the defence secretary after Justice Muslim during a visit found four points around Seaview where untreated sewage was allowed to fall into the sea while the restaurants at the Seaview and Do Dayra also had no mechanism for lifting solid or liquid waste, which was also drained directly into the sea.

Water distribution to cantonment boards

The commission also directed Mr Shah to sit with all stakeholders to take care of the distribution of water to different cantonment boards and installations.

The commission was informed that the KWSB had awarded 114 water connections to different cantonment boards, of which meters were installed only on 41 connections.

Justice Muslim directed the water utility to install meters on all water connections at the cost of the beneficiaries and such connections also may have cameras to ensure transparency.

An equal distribution of water would be ensured by Mr Shah through a proposed meeting with the stakeholders, the commission said.

Loadshedding at pumping stations

After hearing the KWSB MD and the counsel for K-Electric, the commission directed its coordinator to coordinate with the both sides to sort out issues related to loadshedding at the KWSB’s pumping stations.

It also directed the KWSB chief to pay off the amount due on the account of reverse osmosis plants within seven days after the chief distributing officer said the amount had not been paid yet.

The commission directed the KWSB to immediately take steps to start discontinuing illegal water connections wherever they were and submit a periodical report after the KWSB officials failed to persuade the commission that the disconnection of illegal connections should start from bulk supply.

Justice Muslim observed that there was no ground to make excuses that first illegal connections would be discontented from bulk supply and ruled that it must start wherever these connections were.

Published in Dawn, June 5th, 2018