A 3-member committee has been formed to compile a report on the progress of mega sewerage scheme (S-3) being executed to save the sea from solid and liquid waste including industrial waste generated from the city, and to suggest control measures.
The committee, which includes the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) Chairman Shafqat Javed, Commander Pakistan Fleet Ariful Hussaini and a representative of the Sindh Government to be nominated by the Sindh chief secretary, is to submit its report within two weeks to the federal and provincial governments.
This was revealed to the media by Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo on Tuesday at the KPT Head Office, after presiding over a meeting to discuss issues relating to marine pollution caused by civic and industrial waste.
The federal minister for ports and shipping expressed his discontent over the scale of marine pollution along the city coast, and said that the ministry of ports and shipping, Pakistan marine security agency, the Sindh government, and other related agencies had decided to expedite the work on the S-3 and other initiatives aimed at checking marine pollution along the city’s coast.
More than 500 million litres of liquid waste is flowing into the sea per day.
The minister said that he would seek a meeting with Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to discuss and finalise a strategy to effectively address marine pollution after the submission of the committee’s report.
“We will convince the federal and Sindh governments to focus on this issue and to pool their resources to clean up our polluted sea,” he said while admitting that it was a huge task requiring vast resources. The minister also sought the media’s help in promoting awareness about marine pollution among the masses.
To a question, Chairman KPT Vice Admiral Shafqat Javed said that all possible measures were being taken to contain pollution effects of the imported coal stock being handled at the KPT. These include construction of walls and installation of nets around the coal stock to protect nearby life, including both people and marine animals.