'Gift to Karachiites': Clifton's Nahr-e-Khayam to be revamped as recreational spot

KARACHI: The Sindh government in collaboration with a non-government organisation will beautify and develop Clifton’s Nahr-e-Khayam as a recreational spot for people of the metropolis to have a picnic with their families.

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The Sindh cabinet, which met with Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in the chair, gave the go-ahead to signing of an agreement with the NGO to this effect.

Speaking on the occasion, the CM termed it a gift to the people of Karachi saying it will be for people to have a picnic, enjoy sailing in beautiful boats and test different flavours of coffee on the bank of Nahr-e-Khayam.

Minister for Local Government Syed Nasir Shah informed the cabinet about an agreement to be signed between the Sindh government and the People & Nature Initiative (PANI) for revamping Nahr-e-Khayam and sought approval of the cabinet.

PANI is a consortium of different NGOs led by architect Shahid Abdullah.

Nahr-e-Khayam starts from the Gizri crossing, running the course through the Clifton area before merging into the sea. It is used as a stormwater drain for drainage of sewage.

The cabinet was told that since the last few years, sewage/sewerage is being discharged into Nahr-e-Khayam for its disposal into the sea.

There became a practice of disposal of solid waste along the banks of the drain that resulted in an increasing nuisance with the march of time as well as an attraction for encroachers/land grabbers.

The cabinet was informed that after a detailed meeting with PANI, a draft agreement was proposed under which a park/ recreation place would be developed and adopted by PANI on the area with Nahr-e-Khayam on the North and service Lane on the south from Khayaban-e-Saadi to Khayaban-e-Iqbal.

The tenure of the adoption of land by PANI would be 30 years. To segregate and ensure smooth sewage flow which is currently flowing in Nahr-e-Khayam; a separate conduit is to be constructed by the Sindh government in the portion proposed for the development of park and or passage of sewage through Reed Bed system.

Under the proposed agreement, the park will not be used for any political activity and the title of the government will remain with the Sindh government. The adopted park area will not be used for any commercial activity, except for the tuck-shops etc and height of any structure will not be more than 15 ft.