Encroachments, sludge in Karachi’s 18 drains still pose urban floods threat

With the monsoon season around the corner, authorities in Karachi are still struggling to clear 18 drains in the city clogged with encroachments and sludge.

Director Municipal Services Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) Noman Arshad, while speaking to Bol, explained that the department did not receive the allocated budget for the cleanliness drive.

“Encroachments in the city are making it further difficult for us to access and clear the drains,” he stated.

He further added that the authority was already in contact with the relevant department on a priority basis to initiate the drive as soon as possible.

The city’s major natural drains, including the Gujjar, Orangi, Sukhan and Thaddo nullahs, carry its sewage to the Arabian Sea every day. The sewage arrives into these nullahs from 18 smaller drains that span across the city.

Last year, the government allocated Rs22 million to remove sludge from the drains. However, a year on, the drains have yet to be cleared, posing a threat to the city’s infrastructure.

“We all know that the city’s roads and streets will be flooded again when it rains this year,” Muhammad Talha a resident of Musa Colony commented.

He said that locals were mentally prepared to face the same situation as last year.

In 2020 the local government department along with Sindh Solid Waste Management Board (SSWMB), KMC, six district municipal corporations and National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) under a $100 million World Bank programme had cleared three major nullahs in the city — Gujjar, Korangi and Mowach Goth nullah — and removed 4.3 million cubic feet sludge from these drains.

These nullahs, however, are clogged again due to failure of city’s civic bodies or Sindh government’s lenient attitude.

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