Administrator Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Muhammad Hussain Syed on Sunday said that about seventy percent clearance work had been completed on 13 major and 300 minor rain water nullas in the city and remaining work was on the verge of completion.
However, he said, the KMC faced difficulty in clearing certain portions of the nullas which were encroached with construction of residences, the government and private offices, shopping centres and flats etc.
According to a statement issued by KMC, the Administrator stated this during a detailed visit to PECHS nulla, Zehri House nulla, newly constructed nulla along Shahra-e-Qaideen and Urdu Bazar nulla. KMC’s Senior Director Services Dr Shaukat Zaman, Director General Works and Services and the Chief Engineers accompanied him.
He said that 20 percent more rains were expected this year and in the near future due to global weather change.
He informed further that all the necessary steps had been taken to effectively manage the monsoon rains in the city.
He pointed that the residents in katchi abadis usually dump their garbage and construction waste in the rain-water nullas passing through their areas. “Besides, their sewerage also falls in the same nullas,” he added.
All this had badly chocked the nullas at various points and at some points their width had also been reduced from five feet to 100 feet. It had become impossible to use machinery at such points. However, he said, the sanitary workers were trying their best to clear the nullas.
The KMC Administrator said that if KMC tried to remove encroachments on the nullas it led to strong reaction from the occupants creating law and order problem. He recommended that a comprehensive and effective strategy be formed to remove the encroachments and to clear all the nullas.
