KARACHI: Under World Bank Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency projects (SWEEP) project of $11 million pre-drone survey has been conducted of all the 38 Nullahs of KMC while Environmental and socio-economic management survey is being conducted across nullahs and dump sites as per the requirement of the world bank.
This was disclosed in a meeting held here with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in the chair. The meeting was attended by Minister Local Government Nasir Shah, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Local Government Roshan Shaikh, Secretary Finance Hassan Naqvi, PD Competitive and Livable City of Karachi (CLICK) Zubair Channa and others.
The Sindh Chief Minister said that under rain emergency arrangements, he has released Rs 229 million and placed the funds at the disposal of all divisional Commissioners. "I had issued directives through the chief secretary to all the DCs and MCs to clean the Nullahs and make necessary arrangements for disposal of rain water". He added that the Commissioner Karachi requested for additional funds of Rs 30 million which have also been released.
Minister for Local Government Nasir Shah said that Rain Emergency Cells have been established at LG Department, Commissioners offices, DC offices and at all Municipal Committee offices and 1093 complaint center has been established.
The chief minister said that the World Bank has agreed to invest US $ 100 million in Improvement of Solid Waste System in Karachi.
It may be noted that the SWEEP Project was conceived in November 2019. The project includes, improvement of Garbage Transfer Stations as per International Standards, establishment of modern Landfill site at Dhabeji, upgradation of Jam Chakro Landfill site, Emergency intervention to clean Nullah of Karachi which serve as main Sewage Carrier of City are being undertaken. SWEEP has an allocation of $11.0 million for the Emergency component.
Solid waste collection/disposal system: Briefing the chief minister, PD CLICK Project Zubair Channa said that the concept note of SWEEP Project was approved by the Planning Commission on June 8, 2020. On the recommendation of WB and as a Stop-gap arrangement CLICK was assigned the task of SWEEP. The CLICK was authorized to undertake Nallah Cleaning exercise as defined in the SWEEP Project. At this, the chief minister said that the Sindh government was investing $ 8 million from its resources which would be retro-effectively reimbursed by the World Bank.
Zubair Channa said that the permission of opening Assignment Account has been given by Finance as well as AG Sindh. The National Bank would issue an account number by Monday.
Methodology adopted: Zubair Channa told the chief minister that the methodology adopted for payment to the contractors was quite transparent and foolproof. He added that the amount would be paid to contractors based on the quantum of sludge taken out from Nullahs and disposed of or dumped.
At Jam Chakro, a 10-acres land and TP-1 (old sludge tanks) have been identified as designed Dump Sites. Third party qualification of sludge disposed of dump sites- NESPAK has been given monitoring and spot-checking assignment.
The District specific QR coded slips would be printed for each district. The NESPAK on the basis of the slip would again quantify the sludge at the dump site. Only 38 major Nallas Nallas under administration of KMC have been undertaken in the SWEEP.
The PD told the chief minister that Pre-drone surveys have been conducted of all the 38 nullahs of KMC.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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