KARACHI, Aug 22: The KWSB with a view to improving drainage system of Clifton, Bath Island and Gulshan-i-Faisal on Tuesday began construction of a main conduit from Glass Tower to Schon Circle and laying four lines of 48-inch diameter from Schon Circle to Nehar-i-Khayam on war-footing basis.

Work on both the conduit and the four lines, being laid on the directives of Sindh governor Dr Ishratul Ibad and the city Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, is expected to be completed in a couple of days.

KWSB’s managing director Brig Iftikhar Haider has set up his camp office at Schon Circle to help solve the Clifton’s drainage problem expeditiously.

Reviewing the pace of work on the project, he said with the completion of the conduit and the pipelines’ work, the drainage issue of Clifton, Bath Island and Gulshan-i-Faisal will be resolved for the next 50 years.

He said task of undertaking the project work has been assigned to officials who have recently successfully accomplished the 100 mgd K-3 project and these officials including chief engineer Mashkoor-ul-Hasnain, project manager Misbahuddin Fareed and deputy project manage Ayub Shekh, are working day and night under his supervision.

Brig Haider exhorted the officials to discharge their duties efficiently and diligently so that the project is completed before its scheduled period.

Offering apologies on behalf of the KWSB to the residents of Clifton and the Board’s consumers who had to suffer in the wake of recent rains, he hoped that the residents of Clifton would cooperate with the officials working on the drainage project.

Later, he inspected repair work of a sunken 54-inch sewer main trunk, near chief minister’s house and directed the Zone-II chief engineer Najme Alam and superintending engineer Ghulam Qadir to get the work completed expeditiously.

Meanwhile, the city government has decided to search and revive the old drain constructed in Kharadar, Boulton Market and Old City area for draining out rain water, adds APP.

Nazim Karachi Syed Mustafa Kamal has directed that work on the revival of this drain, which was constructed in pre-Pakistan days and was the only source of drainage of water of entire old City, should be started forthwith.

On Sunday night, the city nazim inspected this drain for over one-and-a-half hours and saw those portions whereon constructions have been raised.

Mr Kamal observed that the drain is there for disposal of rain water from old City Area, but it has now come under constructions and finally closed down.

He said no one paid attention to this which caused great problems for residents of old Karachi, particularly Kharadar, Mithadar and Boulton Market.