KARACHI, Dec 22: The Defence Housing Authority Administrator, Brig Maqsood Hussein, on Thursday said that work on installation of a second 3-MGD desalination plant would start in second half of the next year to effectively overcome the persisting problem of water shortage in Defence.

He revealed that the Memorandum of Understanding had already been signed accordingly and good quality desalinated water would be available at an affordable price of Rs105 per 100gallon.

He was talking to a delegation of Defence Authority Co-ordination Committee, led by its convener Aziz Suharwardi, which called on DHA Administrator Brig Maqsood Hussein at his office.

Brig Maqsood said that the first desalination plant in DHA would become operational by the end of 2006 which would bring a quantum improvement in water scarcity crisis in the area.

He announced that sanitation budget of CCB was being doubled and a reinvigorating strategy had been formulated to address frequent complaints of poor sanitation measures in Defence.

He told the delegation that the DHA would soon hand over a community centre being built in premises of Sea View Apartments for the residents to be used for their social and cultural activities.

Brig Maqsood said the community centre along with a funeral home was being established on an area of 5,600sq-ft at a cost of Rs8.5 million. The project would be completed in 10 months. The delegation appreciated initiatives of DHA and termed it a welfare facility that would cater requirements of middle class residents.

On request of the delegation, the DHA administrator promised to build a similar community centre for DHA Phase-IV residents as well for which a suitable place was being explored.

Giving details of revamped sanitation measures, Clifton Cantonment Board’s CEO Iftikhar Mir said that the DHA had been divided into distinct sectors for cleanliness to ensure garbage lifting and cleaning of area more intensively on daily basis by employing additional workforce and machinery.

He added that the CCB would also continue intensive fumigation campaign to prevent any possible outbreak of diseases in the area.

The delegation pointed out that most of the streetlights were non-functional which had plunged some areas literally into darkness. The administrator asked CCB to adopt a proactive approach for bringing a substantial improvement in the situation in shortest possible time.

Iftikhar Mir informed the delegation that streetlights were non-functional mainly due to missing or stolen conductors. However, he said that the CBC had decided to associate representatives of residents’ association to monitor and oversee proper and judicious utilization of CCB development budget which had been enhanced manifold.

The DHA administrator thanked the delegation for providing useful feedback on residents’ problems. —PPI