Funds shortage hits city sewage treatment plan
KARACHI, Oct 16: The Greater Karachi Sewerage Scheme, commonly known as S-III, aimed at treating around 500 million gallons of sewage per day (mgd) before its disposal into the Arabian Sea is in the doldrums as funds required for it are not forthcoming from any of the three sources — the federal government, the Sindh government and the Karachi Port Trust.

The S-III project which had already been delayed by at least three years was approved by the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) in 2007 and its administrative approval was accorded by the Sindh government in 2008.

The project consultancy was also awarded to a firm the same year, but its implementation was first delayed when the land reserved for setting up one of its major components in Korangi was ‘unlawfully’ allotted to a cooperative housing society belonging to some members of the Sindh Assembly and, of late, due to non-availability of funds, sources told Dawn.

Although the project’s land had reportedly been retrieved from the cooperative housing society, Ghaggar Multi-Purpose Cooperative Housing Society, progress on the project could not be made owing to the non-availability of funds. Under a formula devised at a meeting presided over by President Asif Ali Zardari, the funds were to be equally provided by the federal government, the Sindh government and the Karachi Port Trust.

However, the officials tasked with executing the project told Dawn that except for the federal government, which had initially provided some funds for consultancy on the project, neither the Sindh government nor the KPT had provided their share towards the project cost, which had already doubled from Rs7 billion to Rs14 billion owing to dollar-rupee parity.

The project, which was to take off in July 2010 and to be completed in 2014, would stay put until funds for it are provided by all the three sources, the sources said.

Admitting that the city’s present status of sewage treatment was quite disappointing, the officials said that although the city
was producing 472mgd sewage, it was now treating only 61mgd while the remaining 411mgd untreated sewage was being discharged directly into the sea, causing pollution on beaches and harming marine life. The country was also losing the badly-
needed foreign exchange because of off and on bans imposed by the European Union on the import of fish and shrimp from Pakistan, they added.

Highlighting the importance of the S-III project, officials associated with it said that the project which would take at least four years to complete from the day of its launch was aimed at improving the environment of the city beaches, saving marine life from pollution, maintaining the ecological balance, besides reducing problems in Karachi port operations caused by disposal
of 411mgd untreated sewage into the sea.

About the city’s current sewage treatment status, the sources said that of the total 411mgd untreated sewage being disposed of into the sea, the Lyari river and its surrounding storm-water drains, including Kalri and Pitcher drains, were discharging 221mgd; Mai Kolachi Road drain, Soldier Bazaar drain, Railway Station drain, Nehr-i-Khayyam, Frere drain, drains in areas such as Keamari, Grex, Mauripur, Massan Village and Native’s Jetty, were disposing of 53.93mgd and the Malir river and its surrounding drains, including Mehmoodabad drain (Treatment Plant-II, excluding DHA) and Chakra Goth drain-II were discharging 136mgd raw sewage into the sea.