K-IV water project: SWC seeks detailed report on realignments

Sindh Water Commission (SWC) on Monday sought a detailed report on realignments in K-IV water project in a week time after receiving complaints about the changes in design to deliberately benefit Baharia Town Karachi.
The commission headed by former Justice Amir Hani Muslim observed that K-IV Water projects adversely suffered due to frequent realignments and directed consultant of the project to come up with the justifications as to why the project was realigned for 22 times, which the commission noted created doubts in general public.
The applicant, who raised the objection to changes made in the design, complained that the project has been changed to benefit Baharia Town Karachi. On which the commission directed the consultant of K-IV project to furnish facts and figures with the commission about additional amount on 22 realignment points, whose cost has to be paid from public exchequer.
A detailed report should be submitted to the commission in a week with the justifications for 22 realignments, the commission ordered.
Managing Director Karachi Water & Sewerage Board admitted before the commission that most of the employees are either non-cooperative or they are not willing to work when the commission took up the issues pertaining to the KW&SB.
The commission also showed dissatisfaction over the working of IT department of the KW&SB and noted that the staff of the department needs fresh courses as they lacked the required competence to meet the challenges.
The commission also advised the board to get the staff of its IT department trained from renowned institutions. It also showed serious concerns over computerization process in the board and said that bulk water of pumping stations and onward supply can be streamlined through centralized system.
It directed the board to complete entire process of computerization by reflecting tentative water discharge from the bulk till it reaches the consumers.
About solid waste management, the commission directed the two contractors for lifting solid waste should fulfill their part of contract and directed District Municipal Commissioners should ensure that employees transferred to Sindh Solid Waste Management Board should perform their duties. It also ordered that departmental proceedings should be initiated against them if they failed to discharge their duties.
Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar also appeared before the commission and told it that Empress Market Nullah has been rerouted by the Cantonment Board, which doesn't fall in its domain. Secondly, the permission of multistory building on the Nullah is unprecedented, Wasim said.
On the directives of the commission, its focal person Asif Hyder Shah would take up the issue with the relevant forum to submit a plausible explanation about it.