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KARACHI, Jan 2: Some important decisions pertaining to the KWSB’s decentralization are expected to be taken at a high-level meeting here on Thursday.
The meeting, to be presided over by National Reconstruction Bureau’s chairman Syed Tanvir Husain Naqvi, will be briefed by the KWSB’s managing-director Brig Mohammad Behram Khan.
The NRB chief, who will be apprised about the measures so far taken by the KWSB for its decentralization in the wake of Sindh Local Government Ordinance, 2001, is likely to announce some important decisions concerning the KWSB’s future.
The KWSB has, so far, deputed over 5,000 employees, including executive engineers, at the city’s 18 towns for managing the affairs of water supply and sewerage lines under the supervision of the town Nazims.
As part of its decentralization, the KWSB had divided the officials of its former 12 divisions in the city’s 18 towns, keeping in view the requirements of staff of each town of the city.
The other matters pertaining to the KWSB’s assets, city’s overall water supply situation, ongoing water and sewerage projects and the bottlenecks being faced by the KWSB in gearing up the process of its decentralization are also likely to be discussed during the meeting.
NAZIM: A meeting held on Wednesday with city Nazim Naimatullah Khan in the chair decided to help resolve the city’s water and sewerage problems on war-footings.
The meeting, which was attended by Nazims of the city’s town administrations; DCO Shafiqur Rehman Paracha, and KWSB’s managing-director decided that in case of complaint against water or sewerage, it would be mandatory upon the concerned engineer to inform the town Nazim about the details of complaint within 24 hours and the KWSB engineers would work under the town Nazim.
For working on an emergency basis to improve the sewerage situation, it was decided that the city Nazim would visit a town after every fortnight to take stock of the situation.
The meeting also decided that in case of a complaint about water or sewerage, the town Nazim would issue written orders to the concerned engineer, who would be required to inform the town Nazim within 24 hours about the steps to be taken.
It further decided that the town Nazims would appoint their representatives separately for water and sewerage for having coordination with the officials of the KWSB. The concerned office of the KWSB in the town would be made more functional and the engineer would record his movements before leaving the office so that he could be easily contacted by the town Nazim when needed.
The KWSB will improve its service and the elected representatives will extend help in the recovery of water bills for which camps would be set up in different areas.
About the kutchi abadis’ sewerage conditions, the meeting decided to seek the cooperation of their residents for bringing improvement.
With regard to a proposal for inclusion of the kutchi abadis in the Water Board’s network, it was decided that a kutchi abadi in each town would be selected for the purpose as a pilot project.
The KWSB’s chief said for works of immediate nature, Rs45,000 had been placed at the disposal of the executive engineers, whereas major schemes had been included in the Khushhal Pakistan Programme.
