KARACHI: Administrator Karachi, Sindh government’s Spokesman and CM Advisor on Law Barrister Murtaza Wahab on Thursday visited Gujjar Nullah and Hijrat Colony Nullah in connection with the cleaning of drains in Karachi and reviewed the work being done there.

He was accompanied by Municipal Commissioner Syed Afzal Zaidi, Senior Director Municipal Services Mazhar Khan and other officers. The Administrator Karachi directed his sub ordinates to expedite the work before monsoon season and clean 41 big and 514 small drains.

He said that the blockage of drains is a major problem which stops the process of drainage of rain water that accumulates on roads. Barrister Murtaza Wahab directed that all local bodies should take precautionary measures so that citizens do not face any hardship.

Wahab said that such places must be identified ahead of time where rain water is not drained. The Administrator Karachi directed to drain out rain water from 14 underpasses of Karachi so that the flow of traffic in these underpasses could be maintained and water does not get accumulated.

He said that in the past, due to accumulation of water in KPT underpasses Clifton, Liaquatabad and Nazimabad underpasses, the citizens had faced difficulties, directing to take steps to start drainage as soon as it starts raining. He said that last year everyone had worked hard so that the citizens did not face any difficulties. He asked all the local bodies to strengthen their ties with each other and adopt a joint strategy.

Barrister Murtaza Wahab said that those institutions which are not under the management of KMC and DMCs should also be approached for making joint strategy. The Administrator Karachi directed the Senior Director Municipal Services to increase the number of heavy machinery and labor so that the cleaning process can be completed expeditiously.

The Senior Director Municipal Services informed the Administrator Karachi that at present 21 drains of Karachi are being cleaned simultaneously and the process of cleaning of drains has been started from Zero Point. He said that they are facing problems at many places due to encroachments on drains, adding that in these places drains will be cleaned manually. The Senior Director Municipal Services said that the waste coming out of the drains was also being shifted to the landfill site so that the flow of traffic on the roads would not be affected.