KARACHI, Sept 22: The city government is launching a project called Greater Karachi Sewerage Plan (S-III) with an estimated cost of Rs8 billion to maintain the ecological balance of marine life and improve the environmental conditions of the city’s beaches and seafront.

City Nazim Mustafa Kamal said this while speaking at a press conference here on Saturday. Additional vice-chairman Imamuddin Shahzad, Managing Director of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Ghulam Arif and others were also present.

The nazim said the S-III project had been approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council and the federal government was ready to give 50 per cent of the required funds while the remaining 50 per cent would be contributed by the Sindh government.

“The actual time of completion of the project is four years. But we will try to complete it in three years,” he said.

The nazim said the process to appoint consultants was going on and reputable local and international companies had submitted tenders, which would be opened on Oct 5.

Highlighting the status of sewage treatment in the city, he said the total sewage generated in Karachi was 435 million gallons daily (mgd) whereas the capacity of the KWSB’s treatment plants was 151mgd. “A total of 345mgd sewage flows directly into the sea, bypassing the system,” he added.

He said the whole system would be upgraded and the existing capacity of sewage treatment plants would be increased to 300mgd. Besides, a new sewage treatment plant with a capacity of 200mgd would be set up in Korangi.

Mr Kamal maintained that with the commissioning of the S-III project the problem of sea pollution would be solved as all industrial sewage would flow into the sea after treatment.