Speaking as chief guest at the groundbreaking ceremony of power supply and desalination plant of Defence Housing Authority in Karachi, on Friday, President General Pervez Musharraf made pointed references to the Authority's earlier efforts for improvement in the dilapidated infrastructure facilities in parts of the long battered megalopolis should leave little to doubt about its objective approach and sincerity of purpose in handling the challenging tasks initiated thus far.
In this regard, he rightly mentioned efficient completion of the Defence Society Road from Kalapul to Korangi, which will have an overhead bridge at Hino Chowk, thereby, helping further ease the flow of traffic. Needless to point out, the President's engagements in Karachi, on Friday, were marked with his deep concern for solution to the city's and the province's pressing water related problems.
For while he seems to have drawn legitimate satisfaction from the initiation of the DHA's twin projects, he availed of the opportunity to focus various areas of concern, including drainage, water and electricity.
Pointing to the water tanker mafia in Karachi, he will be seen to have rightly observed that its curb can add to water availability to the people and at cheaper rates.
Mention, in this regard, may specifically be made of the directive issued the same day to the federal and provincial government as well to the army engineers to take emergent measures to cope effectively with the feared heavy monsoon downpours.
This has reference to the occasion of the briefing held to review the Left Bank Outfall Drain Project.
While expressing his deep concern over the havoc wrought last year in Thatta and Badin districts by rains and floods, he ordered to take measures beforehand to avert a recurrence of a similar situation this year.
Besides the firm directives issued, in this regard, he also pointed to the need of setting up a committee to make recommendations to ensure against discharge of heavy discharge of water of Phuleli Canal into KP outfall drain during heavy downpour, thereby averting a major disaster.
Moreover, the President also sounded the advisability of providing the Sindh Irrigation and Drainage Authority with adequate funds, expertise, manpower and equipment to meet the challenge.
It will be noted that we have been repeatedly stressing, in these columns, the need of taking timely and extraordinary measures, prior to the heavy monsoon rains which continue to cause fears in the province.
Now that the President, himself, had to official directives, in the matter, it will be noted that the fears around grim prospects of repetition of the previous tragedy have left a great deal to be desired from the relevant quarters.
As for the DHA's power supply and desalination project, involving an investment of $100 million, without any extra relief or exemptions, it will appear to be the answer to people's prayers of long years, as the Authority hopes that in the next two years, it will enable it to help redress Karachi's power shortage by 94 MW and water shortage in DHA by three MGD.
Said to be the first of its kind project, with modern technology, it is gratifying to learn also that it will help provide power at the lowest-ever tariff in the country and water at only Rs 100 for 1,000 gallons.
Lastly, in so far as this newspaper is concerned, it will have the satisfaction that its two decades of campaigning for desalination as an effective means of meeting the worsening water scarcity has started bearing fruit.
However, although several efforts have started in that direction, the example set by DHA will be seen as being worth emulating by other agencies and organisations.
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