'Storm-water drains cleaning to be completed by year-end'

The Managing Director (MD) Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KWSB) Brigadier Iftikhar Haider has said the cleaning of storm-water drains would be completed by December this year. Addressing a press conference here at the KWSB on Friday, he said a thorough survey of storm-water drains would be started soon after its cleaning in next year.
Regarding storm-water drains falling in the cantonment areas, the MD KWSB said that such drains would be undertaken by the KWSB while the cantonment board would bear expenditure.
He said the KWSB were using 37 excavators, 27 dumpers, 12 loaders, four tractors, and four winches for carrying out the cleaning of storm-water drains. He added that 214 labourers of the KWSB were working in the drain cleaning campaign while 200 labourers are expected from city government to join in shortly.
Iftikhar Haider pointed out that trash was being dumped close to the storm-water drains, which had interrupted the smooth flow of water in them. He said such practice would have to be discouraged forthwith in collaboration with the town administration in order to resolve the problem of drains overflowing on to the street and roads.
Pointing out several problems being faced by the KWSB during the campaign, he said the drains were in dilapidated conditions, most of the drains had been encroached upon particularly in the old city areas where markets and multi-storied construction had been built on them.
He said on the directive of the City Nazim Syed Mustafa Kamal, the KWSB had done a survey with the help of maps of Orangi pilot project. He added that the drains were 232 kilometre-long while the short drains were 768 kilometer-long, which had not been cleaned for the last 20 years.
He said since the drive was initiated, the scale of drain water has been educed to a lower degree and the flow continues uninterrupted in all towns. Urging upon the town nazims, Iftikhar Haider said that it was also the duty of them to help and carry out such drives in their respective towns.
He said drain cleaning was being done zone wise, as per first phase, 75 percent drains in Shah Faisal town, 50 percent drains in Landhi, Malir and Korangi towns and 30 percent drains in Bin Qasim town had been made dirt-free.
In line with zone two, he said 35 percent drains in Keamari town, 30 percent drains in Lyari and Saddar towns, 75 percent in Gulshan-e-Iqbal town, and 30 percent in Jamshed town had been cleaned. Similarly in zone three, 60 percent drains in SITE town, 30 percent in Baldia town, 45 percent in Orangi town, 45 percent in North Nazimabad town, 50 percent in New Karachi town, 40 and 45 percents in Gulberg and Gadap towns respectvily had been cleaned.