KARACHI, Sept 28: In a major development, the Sindh government has extended the jurisdiction of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to the areas falling in the limits of cantonment boards and the city district government.
Sources in the KWSB told Dawn that the ministry of defence and cantonment boards had earlier requested the provincial government and the KWSB to take the charge of their civilian localities for the purpose of handling water supply and sewerage system.
The request was pending an action for want of a notification to this effect.
The Local Government Department issued a notification on Sept 23 which inter alia says: “In exercise of powers conferred by sub-section (3) of Section 3 of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Board Act, 1996, the government of Sindh is pleased to extend the jurisdiction of Karachi Water and Sewerage Board to the areas falling within the limits of the City District Government and to the areas of the cantonment boards of Karachi as may be specified by the respective boards.”
Terming the move a landmark, sources in the CDGK said that though the Sindh government, through this notification, had extended the KWSB’s jurisdiction to cantonment boards areas for provision and maintenance of water supply and sewerage system, the CDGK, too, would now have a say in the affairs of such localities as the KWSB had already been devolved into the CDGK.
Asked whether the civilian localities falling in the cantonment boards’ jurisdiction would be transferred to the CDGK through a similar notification for the purpose of construction and maintenance of roads as well as provision of other civic amenities, the sources replied in affirmative. Such an arrangement will, however, require the government to first conduct local government elections in cantonment boards or in their civilian localities so that inhabitants of such localities could have their elected representatives there, they added.
Although more than two years have elapsed since local government elections in the country, these localities are still deprived of their elected representative as the government has, so far, failed to conduct local government polls in cantonment boards throughout the country as well as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata).
At present, all localities of cantonment boards, except for KDA Scheme No 1-A of Faisal Cantonment Board, are the bulk consumers of water supplied through the KWSB. However, after the takeover by the KWSB of the cantonment areas, the KWSB would become responsible for the provision of water and sewerage systems, water distribution system, new water connections and recovery of water charges from its retail consumers in such areas.
About the KDA Scheme No 1-A, the sources said that it was the only locality in the entire city which, despite falling in the jurisdiction of Faisal Cantonment Board, was given under the KWSB in August 1992 for the purpose of provision of water and sewerage services.
Sources in the CDGK hoped that water supply and sewerage system in the newly added cantonment areas would improve considerably because the internal water and sewerage systems in these localities were, at present, being handled by junior engineers. Moreover, a number of civilian localities of cantonment boards which until now did not have water connections, would be able to get one through the KWSB.
Sources said that the takeover by KWSB would enable residents of a number of civilian localities of the Faisal and other cantonment boards to get their water supply problems solved. The areas experiencing chronic water problems are different blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauhar (especially those situated on either side of Rashid Minhas Road from Askari petrol pump to Toyota showroom), Railway Housing Society and Gulshan-i-Jamal.
PRIVATE SOCIETIES: Asked about the private cooperative housing societies, which are also bulk consumers of the KWSB supplied water, sources in the agency said that a separate notification would be required to be issued for a similar takeover. The notification is likely to be issued shortly, they hinted.
“In fact, private societies, either in the limits of cantonment boards or in the jurisdiction of the Board of Revenue/ government housing schemes, will remain bulk consumers because they are not willing to be transferred to the CDGK. They just want their water and sewerage affairs to be handled by the KWSB.”
A notification would be required also for a similar takeover of the regularized kutchi abadis, they added.