KARACHI, Aug 12: City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal said on Tuesday that all encroachments along the various storm-water drains particularly, Orangi and Gujjar nullahs, would have to be removed to conduct cleaning operations so as to prevent any calamity in the wake of rains.

Laying emphasis on the two nullahs, he said that since these two had not been cleaned for decades water levels in the two major drains had risen alarmingly.

He said that due to heavy encroachments on these nullahs, heavy machinery could not be used and the situation hampered the cleaning activities.

The nazim was addressing a high-level meeting held at his office to discuss and review the cleaning of the city’s major drains.

He warned that if an immediate solution was not found, the adjoining areas would be exposed to a grave danger as water might intrude into their houses.

The city nazim said that the sewage from the adjacent areas also fell in these drains. However, the encroachments at their banks had made their cleaning almost an impossible task.

He said that the city government had spent billions of rupees on the rehabilitation of the city’s sewerage network but all these efforts would prove to be a futile exercise if the encroachments were not removed from the banks of these drains. —APP