KARACHI, July 19: The Sindh Adviser on Local Government, Waseem Akhtar, said that funds under the Tameer-i-Karachi programme would be utilized prudently and transparently with greater emphasis on city’s water and sewerage systems. “These problems were not addressed during the last four years and we would see that this money is utilized through competent hands”.

He was speaking at a presentation on “Rainfall-flood emergency plan for Karachi”, prepared by experts at the Institute of Human Settlement and Environment, Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) as a public service here on Tuesday.

The report is part of the work being done by the university on disaster relief plan relating to earthquakes, floods, fire, tsunami etc.

Mr Akhtar said our first priority was to improve the basic infrastructure of Karachi so as to make the city “safe and secure” against various disasters.

He said that after water and sewerage systems were improved, only then roads would be taken up.

Mr Akhtar pointed out that there were different issues faced by the Government of Sindh like the city’s infrastructure as inherited from the past.

He hoped that the studies carried out by Sir Syed University of Engineering and Technology (SSUET) would be of great advantage for us and offered Chancellor Z.A. Nizami all out cooperation, collaboration and assistance of the local government in this regard.

“We will be on his disposal”, the advisor said and called for a study on katchi abadis also by the varsity.

He said it was suprising that the katchi abadis continued to grow despite the existence of the Katachi Abadis Authority.

Mr Akhtar pointed out that with the growing population and katchi abadis, the storm water drains had become a dumping place for garbage and encroachments being yet another menace.

On the occasion Additional Chief Secretary Local Government Mohammed Saleem Khan, KWSB MD Brig Iftekhar Hyder and EDO Revenue Hashim Rizvi also explained the relief measures taken by the Sindh government and the concerned departments in case rain emergency was declared.

Earlier, Prof Dr Makhdoomi highlighted the salient features of the rainfall-flood relief plan.—APP