Karachi DMCs demand funds for drains' clearance before monsoon

KARACHI: Chairman District Municipal Corporation East Karachi has demanded release of funds for clearance of the storm water drains in the metropolis before the monsoon season, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

The DMC chief has demanded release of a special grant of 65 million in a letter written to Sindh minister for local government, Chief Secretary Sindh, Commissioner Karachi, and the provincial secretary finance.

The chairman has pointed out deteriorating situation of the drains in Gulshan Iqbal and Jamshed Town in district east of the city.

The drains could submerge surrounding population if the cleaning work not done before the rainy weather, the chairman DMC said.

“The Sindh government should fulfill its promises of grant for clearance of the drains,” the municipal chairman Karachi East said in his letter.

The chairmans of four municipal districts of Karachi had yesterday called on the minister of local government and demanded release of funds for clearance of storm water drains in their respective municipal limits.

It is to be mentioned here that the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) earlier asked the provinces to make all the precautionary measures ready ahead of the monsoon season, as above-average rainfall is expected across the country this year.

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Meteorological Department had predicted that the country would receive 10 per cent extra rainfall than usual during the monsoon season.

“Monsoon rainfalls may trigger urban flooding in respective metropolitan cities that merits cleanliness of waterways of problematic nullah/ tributaries and cleanliness of the drainage system,” according to the letters issued to the provinces.

The Met Office had said that monsoon rainfall continues from July to September. It added that Sindh and Kashmir are likely to receive around 20% more rainfall than usual during the season.

The NDMA spokesman had said the previous year’s rain in cities of Sindh and Punjab resulted in urban flooding caused by the water drainage system and stressed the need for improving such system.

Many shortfalls were observed while handling urban flooding situation in areas of Sindh and Punjab particularly in Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Lahore and Rawalpindi.