HYDERABAD: The divisional administration of Hyderabad has chosen to get storm-water drains desilted through the Frontier Works Orga­nisation (FWO), instead of the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), at market rates.

The commissioner’s office approached the institution concerned for seeking assistance on Friday through a letter addressed to 18-Division Headquarters Hyderabad. It has been requested in the letter that a team of FWO officials might be deputed to carry out technical survey of storm-water drains/nullahs and provide expert opinion for their cleaning/desilting so that execution could be started immediately.

Currently, the district administration of Hyderabad is busy in the desilting of storm-water drains at the sites like Tulsidas, Unit-12 Latifabad, Jatoi Pull and Makrani Para. Funds for the purpose are to be released to the district administration of Hyderabad. The administration has provided some machinery to Wasa officials for desilting.

It is learnt that Hyderabad is being provided a fraction of the amount (Rs40m) compared to what has been allocated to Karachi (Rs80m) for desilting during the rain emergency. The district administration with the help of Wasa is busy in desilting work. All storm-water drains had been handed over to Wasa in 2016, otherwise open drain system used to fall in the administrative jurisdiction of the Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (HMC).

The commissioner’s letter — written in response to the division headquarters’ July 8 letter — said that in the wake of impending monsoon, the Met department had predicted downpour which might lead to urban flooding. Earlier patterns during the monsoon reflect that even an average rainfall inundated low-lying areas of Hyderabad district.

It said that keeping in view the past pattern, the Wasa managing director vide his letter dated July 8 addressed to the Hyderabad DC communicated a list of important storm-water drains/nullahs of the city, along with the scope of work, to be cleaned.

An estimated amount of Rs40m has been earmarked to be disbursed to the DC for the purpose.

Commissioner Abbas Baloch said that the administration wanted to get expertise of the FWO in this regard to make the whole process ‘transparent’.

“We want to take everyone on board in this process. Soldiers helped the administration in the past year’s rain as well. So all stakeholders should be on board instead of seeking their assistance later,” he said.

He added that a survey would be conducted first for cleaning the drains. Wasa would also hire its labour and the same function would be performed by the FWO at the “existing market rates”, he said, adding that the district administration and Wasa were already busy in cleaning of drains.

“Rain emergency remains challenging in Hyderabad division as compared to other districts,” he said, alluding to last year’s accumulation of rainwater on account of massive and prolonged power breakdowns on the part of Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco). He said that work had not been awarded to the FWO yet; it might take a week or so. “This will ensure transparency and nobody can point finger over utilisation of funds in this regard,” he said.

Hyderabad district has a sizeable length of storm-water drains in three main urban talukas. All old areas of the City taluka have an open drain system for the drainage of sewage while Latifabad and Qasimabad have an underground network. Even underground sewerage system is finally connected with open drains at various points to take municipal and industrial water first to sewage disposal stations and then either to river Indus directly or through freshwater canals.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2020