HYDERABAD: The Supreme Court-appointed judicial commission on water quality and drainage in Sindh on Thursday submitted report before the apex court, stating that not a single treatment plant is working in Sindh, all sedimentation-based water supply schemes are dysfunctional with faulty design and untreated sewage continues to flow in irrigation water/canals at 750 points.

It has recommended in detail that “for streamlining system [of construction of multistorey buildings and housing societies in Sindh] SBCA should be restrained from granting approval to any building, housing society whether commercial or residential before civic agencies concerned certify that applicants can facilitate and provide amenities to proposed structure/housing society.”

The apex court is likely to take up the report on Saturday. The judicial commission headed by retired justice Amir Hani Muslim has submitted its findings in the wake of commission’s visits across Sindh, meetings with officials and the commission’s proceedings in Karachi.

The commission has dwelt at length while making its point-wise observations for perusal of SC, detailing that six water cleaning mechanism exist in Sindh.

All settlement/sedimentation-based schemes were dysfunctional. Their basic design is faulty. It lacks provision of chlorination and coagulation/flocculation (alum dosing). With all impurities raw water is supplied to public for drinking purpose.

Filter plants of Karachi and Hyderabad were dysfunctional to varying degrees and none is producing water within acceptable parameters. Karachi’s distribution system is seedy and run down. The system makes sure that water, if filtered to some degree, reverts back to same, if not worse, status.

“Not a single sewerage treatment plant was working in province. Schemes are designed on conventional settlement/oxidation mechanism. Ironically not a single [one] of them was functioning. There is no sewerage treatment provision in whole province”, the report said.

It disclosed that “untreated sewerage continues to fall in irrigation water/canals at hundreds of pla­ces across Sindh (750 points)”.

Sepa is ‘disabled’

Sindh Environmental Protection Agency is a disabled and weak organisation barely able to make its presence felt. Hospitals lack medical waste disposal system as well as clean drinking water, hit by choked drainage system and wards surrounded by sewage/garbage.

Incinerators were neither installed nor rehabilitated despite Supreme Court’s directives. Inaction of health department is not understandable as government released funds for procurement of 17 incinerators.

Some incinerators were manually operated and did not have optimum temperature to burn waste. Conditions prevailing in hospitals are alarming although government released funds consistently.

The commission noticed that 85 per cent of medicines’ budget had been centralised and placed at disposal of health department; 15pc was allocated to medical superintendents of hospitals for local purchase. Procurement committee for medicines has been changed. Previous committees were headed by noted professors/vice chancellors who had expertise and integrity but Aug 2017 notification overlooks it.

The commission was told that additional secretary Mr Rehan Baloch, who is part of different committees for procurement of medical equipment and other development works fixes price. Present policy lacks transparency. Baloch runs the actual show and is facing inquiries from National Accountability Bureau for serious charges against him. “With current bureaucratic leadership lacking sense of responsibility and vigour, no satisfactory change [in health department] can be made” it said.

No master plans

Karachi and Hyderabad do not have master plans. Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) approved concept plan. “In fact no No Objection Certificate (NOC) is obtained by any person who intends to raise construction in Karachi and rest of Sindh as it is domain of SBCA”, it said. SBCA has de-shaped Karachi and same is true for Hyderabad, Sukkur and Larkana. SBCA pockets billions under betterment charges from builders/housing societies but it is never spent on amenities. “Pilferage of money goes unchecked”, it said. Civic agencies responsible for providing facilities are not consulted by SBCA.

“It is incumbent for streamlining system that SBCA should be restrained from granting approval to any building, housing society whether commercial or residential before civic agencies certify that applicants can facilitate and provide amenities to proposed structure/housing society. There is mushroom and unregulated growth of commercial/residential multistorey buildings/housing schemes in and outside Karachi sans water supply and drainage system.

The way forward

Discussing the way forward, it said, problem of clean drinking water is complex. Years of neglect have taken it to a primary stage wherefrom a new edifice needs to be raised. Inter and intra-departmental issues have impact of varying degrees on the net outcome.

Any slipshod or quick fix methods could bring cosmetic changes but actual problem would continue to haunt people. It necessitates an integrated holistic and economic solution of problem.

It said operation of RO plants is assigned to PHE which would execute/maintain RO plants. Supreme Court’s decision to intervene in putting in place an officer in PHE who has vision and capacity to handle added responsibilities would certainly be a great help for commission. Working with secretary PHE (Asif Hyder Shah), commission has made considerable headway.

It said PHE revised preliminary strategic plan to run RO plants. National Testing Services (NTS) would be approached for recruitment of sub-engineers on posts lying vacant in PHE.

All officers/engineers facing corruption charges are reported back to department and they would no more be connected with execution of schemes. For appointment of assistant executive engineers, PHE secretary has approached Sindh Public Service Commission. Secretary PHE has taken decision for restructuring/expediting annual development (ADP) schemes for 2017-18 to channelise funds into schemes that could produce results sooner than originally conceived.

PHE is executing 223 schemes of water supply and drainage at a cost of Rs6 billion allocation in 2017-18. Under directives of commission, it submitted proposal for rehabilitation of non-functional water supply and drainage schemes at a cost of Rs5.181bn summary of which is approved by chief minister. It said another project cost-I “elimination of urban sewerage discharging in irrigation canals and lakes in Sindh” has been approved at a cost of Rs3.586bn to plug 181 points where untreated water enters freshwater resources.

Sindh government has committed funds of Rs1,050 million for water filter plants in Karachi, Gharo and Pipri. Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) has submitted a work plan for rehabilitation by June 2020 but commission has not approved it yet. Revised work plan of K-IV phase-1 project has been made with completion date of June 2019. Federal government agreed to release its share of Rs3.176bn as Sindh government has released its funds.

Treatment Plant-I at Haroonabad would be completed by year end whereas rehabilitation work on TP-III would be completed by June. Both plants would substantially mitigate Karachi’s sewerage woes. On intervention of commission, federal government has approved construction of a new sewerage treatment plant namely TP-IV for Malir basin.

Water and Sanitation Agency Hyderabad has submitted work plans for water and sewerage treatment plants at a cost of Rs750m schemes of which are approved. Wasa agreed to initiate a scheme to rehabilitate distribution system. Chairman P&D promised to release Rs200m for current financial year. Chairman was directed to devise a mechanism to formulate master plans for all major cities.

Industrialists of Kotri have undertaken to operate and maintain Combined Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP). Secretary education has been directed to submit detailed work plan for supply of clean drinking water to 4,000 schools by June this year. The commission expressed the hope that issue of hydrants would be taken to its logical end.

Published in Dawn, March 17th, 2018