The Sindh High Court on Wednesday summoned comments from the Sindh chief secretary, secretary finance, city administrator and the Karachi Water & Sewerage Boards managing director on a petition seeking removal of encroachments and cleaning of the city’s drains before the monsoon season.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Faisal Arab had taken up the petition filed by Rana Faizul Hassan, secretary general of United Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, against the civic authorities for failing to clean and remove encroachments from drains, rivers and sewer lines.
The petitioner submitted that the city’s several big and small drains, and sewer lines, which are major source of draining out sewerage and rain water, had either been encroached upon or chocked. These encroachments and chocking of drains caused immense inconvenience to the public during the season of rains as water overflows into the streets. He added around 90 percent big drains were encroached and alleged the KMC authorities did not bother to remove the encroachments erected unlawfully.
The petitioner told the judges that encroachments were made on the lands of Malir River, Gujjar Nullah and Songal Nullah, which carried domestic and industrial waste from different areas, including Abul Hassan Isphahani Road, Sindh Secretariat, Orangi, Defence View, SITE, Ibn-e-Sina Road, Urdu Bazaar and Manzoor Colony.
Rana submitted that if the civic authorities did not swing into action timely and implement court orders, the monsoon showers expected in the coming days in the city would cause water-logging in many areas paralyzing life. The petitioner requested the court to direct the civic authorities to implement its order regarding cleaning and removal of encroachments from the drains.
