KARACHI: The Sindh government is giving top priority to the completion of water supply and public transport schemes in the metropolis, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah told a meeting presided over by him at the CM House here on Friday.

Reviewing the water availability situation in the province, he noted that there was only 493 MGD (million gallons per day) water was available against a total demand of 918 MGD.

In the public transport sector, work on 21-km-long Green Line project also needed to be completed as soon as possible as 80 per cent work of the infrastructure between Surjani and Municipal Park has already been completed, according to him.

Water shortage attributed to low rainfall

Up to 20 per cent of work for the underground bus terminal with parking facility and commercial mezzanine floor has been completed.

The chief minister directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) managing director to complete four ongoing water supply schemes — 60 MGD recycling, 260 MGD K-IV, 65 MGD bulk supplies and 100 MGD pump house output — as soon as possible The MD said that due to low rainfall at Hub, water supply to the city had reduced from 100 MGD to 12 MGD.

The chief minister was further informed that these schemes would be completed by December 2020 while the 100 MGD pump house schemes costing Rs1.43 million will become operational by March 2019.

The MD said that the S-III project included rehabilitation of existing treatment plant-I and III of 100 MGD and 180 MGD, respectively, and construction of new treatment plant STP-IV of 180 MGD, at Korangi and 100 MGD at KPT STP-V. These projects will have the capacity to treat 608 MGD.

The meeting was informed that the water demand of the four industrial areas — SITE, F B. Area, Landhi-Korangi and Super Highway SITE — was 200 MGD but they were receiving only 25 MGD.

The chief minister said that he had decided to install a desalination plant.

The meeting was also informed that overall 23pc work on Rs36.12 billion S-III project was carried out with 26pc of civil work.

The chief minister directed P&D chairman Mohammad Waseem to keep him informed about progress of work on the project.

The P&D chairman told the chief minister that the combined effluent treatment plant projects would cost Rs11.8bn to be shared with the ratio of 67pc and 33pc, respectively, by the provincial and the federal governments.

It would clean 94 MGD of industrial effluent in a cost-effective and environment-friendly manner.

Karachi Commissioner Saleh Farooqi, who is the project director of the BRT Green Line, informed the CM that the project was in its final stage and would be completed by December.

Giving details, Mr Farooqi said work on the bus depot at Surjani for parking, washing, refuelling facility and on maintenance yard had been completed by 60pc.

He said that phase-II of common corridor, from Guru Mandir to Municipal Park, was 2.5-km-long with two underpasses along M.A. Jinnah Road.

The chief minister said the corridor was designed by a technical team of the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.

Published in Dawn, September 15th, 2018